Battle of the timeline
by Abraxus7RON
Summary: Thousands of years after the fall of the evil empire ruled by the Dark King, Kingdoms have risen and fallen, cities have turned to dust while others have been built into glorious systems. The land of Alageasia have seen many changes and many Riders who have all but disappeared. One teen fights for his life in different worlds altogether in order to bring back the Riders.
1. Prologue

Eragon left Alageasia with the future of a species in his hands, hoping to find a land to raise the dragons and train Riders at. And their search was successful, not long after they left they found an island at the center of a great ocean. The isle was tremendously huge and was a fitting place for the rebirth of the dragon species. They eventually built up a large city with buildings so enormous that dragons, no matter their size, could fly within. With the help of elves traveling back and forth to the island they turned a large formidable forest into cities with the elven technique only they could perform. And soon the island was a thriving kingdom and home for wild and bonded dragons.

Every year more and more eggs were shipped out to Alageasia, and more riders arrived with each season after lessons from the elves in Du Weldenvarden. With more and more riders arriving Eragon soon proclaimed that the riders have been restored and the dragons been reborn. But as years passed and the Riders and dragons remained at their new home, their existence began to turn to myths and stories told around a campfire. Not one was seen for hundreds and hundreds of years, up until an evil magician, disobeying the laws of the land set into order by Nasuada, found a dragon egg and forced it to hatch for him with dark spells of twisted magic.

His name was Callion and he soon became the most feared warrior in all the land, and also, though most people denied this title, dragon rider. He took control over Alageasia and amused himself by going to war with rebel armies. But during one war, which turned Du Weldenvarden into a dark and evil place, he disappeared when he went to fight an unknown enemy. Without Callion the races of Alageasia went to war with each other. The Urgals nearly went into extinction as well as the Dwarves. The elves were believed to have left the land in search of the, by this time period, mythical home of the dragons'.

Over the next course of a thousand years, another empire from across the seas to the west of Alageasia invaded the land and took over the entire country, sending the Urgals and Dwarves into hiding and putting the humans under the rule of Aodin, the king of the new empire. They took the city of Aroughs as the capital and renamed Alageasia and many of its cities to fit their desires. But most cities, still loyal to the old ways, rebelled against the new power and formed a revolutionary group called 'The New Varden' named after the group that brought peace to Alageasia, or as the new empire called it, Salazier.

The great city of Xeon, which used to be Feinster, the western coastal city, has the central command over the New Varden. Xeon's king, Xeno named with that title as was their custom to be named a name closest to the city they ruled. With the support of other rebel kingdoms, and secretly the Dwarves and Urgals, they have withstood the new empires attacks.

A group of Xeonian soldiers travel the land in hopes of finding the riders and elves so they could lead a war against the Empire. But what they find will throw their hopes out of control, but hope still remains when one of their own is transported, by a strange magical force, to a new world where he searches for help from its inhabitants. But on his quest he discovers parts of his life that he would have never have expected. But these events cause a dangerous power to awaken, one that no one, not even the Riders in their large numbers, can defeat.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The prison raid

Two hazy shapes loomed in the thick fog that hovered above the ground by three feet. Those two shapes were spies sent from the great city of Xeon. One of their most elite units was captured some months before and they strived to retrieve him.

The two spies approached Aroughs, the most powerful city in the land of Salazier. The spies had got a tip off that several soldiers had, under armed guard, brought in a man bound in chains, to be delivered directly to the dungeons. The city wall loomed in front of them like a towering giant, in this case it was. So with nervous movements the spies took out, from their packs on their backs, extremely long rope tipped with hooks with four arms. They swung the hooks through the air and launched them to the wall above them.

The hooks latched onto the battlements with hollow dings. Then with experienced thrusts they pulled themselves up the ropes. Once on top of the mortar-bound stone wall they quickly searched for any shadows to hide in. Seeing none, due to the innumerable amounts of torches that lined the wall, they looked to make sure no one was around to see them.

To the left several guards stood farther down the wall talking about the latest gossip flowing around the city, each welding swords and daggers. And to the right stood several more guards only they weren't talking, but rather staring off into space as if their job bored them, in which it did.

"The coast seems clear enough." Said Trey, touching the curved blade of his axe to confirm that it was still there. He wasn't much of a sneak, but more of a direct approach type guy. He loved, more than anything, the thrill of fighting. From his point of view Trey could see the layout of the city. Aroughs was contained behind a grayish stone wall-a hundred feet tall and thirty-five feet thick- with rows of rectangular arrow slits lining it and a walkway on top for soldiers and watchmen. The walls smooth surface was broken by two iron portcullises, one facing the west towards the sea, the other facing the south towards the Sandy Hills. Above the wall-and set against its southeast section-rose a huge citadel built of giant stones and turrets.

On the other hand, Austin, however, wasn't. He enjoyed sneaking around taking people down from behind. He nodded in reply. They headed down a set of stone stairs that led to the ground. "Aroughs may be one of the greatest cities, but it has horrible guards." Remarked Austin, he couldn't help thinking aloud.

Trey let out a little laugh."Let's concentrate on finding the prison." Austin, who had studied several maps of Aroughs, started walking in the correct direction. He was known for just wondering without telling anyone, and so, as he walked off, Trey, who was looking in the opposite direction, did not see him leave.

"I believe the prison is off in that…" Trey stopped and whirled around to find no one beside him. Oh great, he thought, he is going to blow our cover. Any minute now.

"Trey." Austin whispered.

Austin had somehow sneaked up behind him."Ah! Where were you?" He asked, looking around to see if he had drawn attention.

"Up ahead," He said, holding his index finger of his right hand to his lips."I found the prison chambers."

Trey, irritated beyond belief, started forward. Soon they arrived at a wooden door with a plank, several feet in length, which held the door shut, only to be opened from the outside.

This is it, Austin mouthed, grabbing the firm wood and lifting it out of its place then, with extreme quietness, set the plank on the cobble-stone road. The door slid open several inches by itself then creaked as it stopped. Austin froze, waiting, listening to see if he had given prominence to their presence.

After some moments of sheer quiet he walked forward into the dim light of a hallway, and then felt his feet fall as he encountered a set of steep steps. "There is a set of steps here," Austin warned Trey. "So be careful."

They continued down the steps and into a long corridor, lined with prison cells each occupied by an unfortunate soul. Beaten and bound, the prisoners sat on the bare, muddy, uncomfortable floor. As Trey and Austin walked down the corridor they were disturbed by the looks of the battle-harden prisoners. Even though they looked weak, telling by the hatred in their eyes, they would fight if given the opportunity.

"Well, this is satisfying to know what's down here." Commented Trey, not in a good way, however, but in a more dramatic sadness.

Austin's gaze and curiosity carried his startling electric lime eyes down the corridor and at a cell, much larger than the rest, which contained a man in tattered, old, grimy clothes. He was severely beaten and chained to the wall where he hung helplessly.

Adam was Austin's first thoughts.

As Austin slowly emerged from the darkness and into the light of an oil lamp that was nailed to the wall next to the cell, his heart skipped a beat. The man sluggishly looked up at Austin. Austin didn't need to think twice about who was in the cell. Firstly, the man's torn uniform had the Xeon insignia on the right sleeve. Secondly, the man's face was that of Adam, even though his face was worn and weary, Austin could still see Adam's features and recognized him instantly.

Austin could see that the man was struggling to speak."Austin?"

Without doubt, this was Adam."You're alive." Said Austin, and then thinking back to it, he realized that it was a stupid statement.

Trey came running up to Austin."Adam, don't worry we will get you out of here." Trey began immediately looking for a way to get him free.

Austin turned and pulled out a flat metal cylinder out of his uniforms pocket. He touched it with his index finger and said." Etchmif legla Nolan." Contact Master Nolan. A transparent image of a man appeared above the metal cylinder. The image showed no color and was impotent to show his features.

"Master Nolan," He addressed the image."We have successfully found, and are in the process of freeing, Adam."

The man's eyes brightened."That is excellent. I expect you to not up rise suspicion; we don't need Aroughs on our tail just yet."

"Of course, Master Nolan." Replied Austin, the image flickering off.

He returned the cylinder to his pocket as Trey walked back up to the cell that Adam was contained in, holding a set of keys in his hand.

Where did he get those, Austin asked himself, following Trey back to the cell.

Trey tried several keys until he found the right one. The cell door screeched open and banged against the surrounding brick wall. Austin tensed; however, Trey continued to Adam and unlocked each of his chains. Austin turned to the door ready to fight if any soldiers come running in. Adams chains clanked to the ground one by one until he was no longer bound. "Thanks," He said weakly, rubbing his wrists where the chains had scratched against them for over a month.

"Let's hurry up." Commanded Austin, always feeling like the leader between him and Trey. But now that Adam was back Austin felt smaller even though Adam was weak and beaten senseless.

"But what about the other prisoners?" Trey asked, feeling a sort of sadness for the pitiful captives.

"What about them. There is nothing we can do." Replied Austin, repeatedly glancing towards the set of steps that led to the surface. Trey smirked then triumphantly held up the keys.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Escaping Aroughs

Trey had speedily unlocked all the cells and set all the captives free.

The prisoners now stood on the cold stone floor awaiting Trey's orders as they suddenly became loyal to him. An unsettling emotion fell upon Austin, not jealousy, but more like annoyance. _Why did he suddenly become an idol of prisoners?_ Thought Austin. He pushed the thought away and focused on the task at hand.

Trey was ordering the captives to remain quiet so they could sneak out of the prison undetected. Adam was leaning up against the wall nearest the exit, his face pale and weak. Suddenly Austin remembered something, a small silken pouch tied to his belt. He pulled it off and tugged on the drawstrings, opening the puckered lip of the pouch to reveal a few chunks of yellow, chalk-like lumps.

Running over to Adam, he handed the pouch to him. Adam sluggishly looked up and offered a weak smile before looking down at the lumps that Austin had now poured into his hand. "These will make you feel better." Austin said, he somewhat felt responsible for Adam's weakness. Adam nodded then reached down and plucked the lumps from Austin's hand and threw them into his mouth.

After a couple chews, the color of Adam's pale skin seemed to flush back into him, his limbs no longer hung down, but rather firmed and once again looked to be part of his body. Adam stood up straighter, still not completely healed, but well enough to fight if need be. "Thank you."

Austin shrugged, "No problem, you need them more than I do."

"Hey. If ya'll are ready we would like to escape now." Said Trey, walking up to Austin. Then they complied and listened to Trey's obvious plan. "Okay, so we are going to sneak through the city and up to the south gate…" He then gave dangerous stares at the prisoners as he emphasized his last word, "Quietly."

The prisoners nodded intently as their inpatients began to take over. After years of waiting, their time for an escape finally came, and the slightest holdup was not going to be tolerated one bit. "Let's go already." Came a voice from within the mass of captives.

Austin leaned over to Trey and whispered in his ear, "I don't think they are going to allow any interruptions during an escape."

Suddenly the prisoners rushed forward bumping, shoving, and kicking as they tried to get out of the underground room. Trey jumped then turned and ran up the steep stairs to the surface. The captives, however, heeded Trey's advice and remained quiet the whole time.

The sky was clear and dark, and a slight breeze stirred the air. A silvery cloud drifted over the city, its edges glowing with ruddy light cast from the rising sun. A brooding mist crept along the city's streets, almost thick enough to obscure their feet. Dozens of large plaster-sided buildings stood clustered around the prison entrance. All of the buildings-cold and forbidding with the empty stare of their black windows-appeared to be warehouses or storage facilities, which, coupled with the early-morning hour, meant it was unlikely that anyone would notice their sudden departure.

Trey had no intentions of staying around to find out for sure.

Hazy rays of newborn light streaked horizontally across the city, gilding the tops of the towers, the battlements, the cupolas, and the slanted roofs. The streets and alleyways were cloaked in shadows the color of tarnished silver. High above gleamed a lone wandering star, a furtive spark in the brightening blue mantle, where the sun's growing radiance had obscured all of the other nighttime jewels.

Forward the escapees marched, their leather boots scuffing the cobblestone street. Trey led them through the warren of buildings toward the outer wall of the city, but not choosing the most obvious or direct route, so as to decrease their chances of being seen. The lanes they followed were narrow and murky, and sometimes he had difficulty seeing where he was placing his feet.

As they continued the buildings shifted to homes and shops: tall, cross-beamed, with whitewashed walls and wrought-iron fixtures upon the doors. Behind the shuttered windows Trey could hear conversations going on, dishes clattering, and the scrap of chairs being dragged across wooden floors. Time was no longer on their side. Pretty soon people would be going about their business and leaving the comfort of their homes.

Trey turned back around and held out a hand, signaling the men to stop. "We are near the southern wall. Get ready to fight there might be soldiers or sentries guarding the gate."

The prisoners dispersed without reason and began trifling through various tools that happened to be lying around different buildings such as blacksmiths, silversmiths, and sword smiths. Thus armed they set forth and streamed between the buildings until the gate came into view.

When they were only a hundred feet, Trey once again stopped in an alley behind a house and raised a hand. Then he crept along the side of the house and peered around the corner at the portcullis set within the tall granite wall.

The gate was closed.

To the left of the gate, however, a small sally port stood wide open. He withdrew from behind the side of the house and bowed his head as he thought ferociously. "Austin." He shouted, "Adam, and you four." He pointed to a trio of fierce looking men who, by their age, looked to have had military experience. "Come with me."

The men didn't argue, but sped up to stand side by side with Trey. With the six men he had chosen, Trey circled the thoroughfare that led to the gate until they reached the rubbish strewn base of the outward-slanting wall, perhaps fifty-five feet from the portcullis and the open sally port.

A soldier was stationed on each of the two gate towers, but at the moment, neither was visible, and unless they poked their head over the battlements, Trey and his companions would remain hidden from sight.

In a whisper, Trey said, "Once we're through the door, you, you, and you"-He motioned to Adam and two of the prisoners-"make for the guardhouse on the other side as fast as you can. We'll take the near one. Do what you have to, but get that gate open. There may be one wheel to turn, or we'll have to work together."

Running as quietly as he could, Trey dashed alongside the wall and, with a quick turn, darted into the sally port.

Before him was a long twenty foot chamber with a single fountain in the center, sprouting water in single rope-like tendrils, which dripped into the pool below. Men in fine clothes hurried back and forth, some carried scrolls.

Trey ignored them and turned to a closed door, which he unlatched by hand. Through the door was a dingy guardroom with a spiral staircase built into the wall. He raced up the stairs and, after a single revolution, found himself in a low-ceiling room where four guards sat. When they caught sight of Trey they sprang to their feet, pushing back the benches they sat in, the wooden legs screeched across the floor.

They were too late, for Trey closed the space between them and dispatched one man with a blow from his axe. The next man had about as much time as he would needed to pull his sword halfway from its sheath before Trey beheaded him with a swift upward fling of his arm. The other two had their swords drawn when Trey faced them, and by that time Austin and one of the prisoners, armed with a hammer, entered the room, cautious of the blood soaking into the floor.

The soldiers shot forth and attacked Trey who parried the first blow, however, the second landed upon the left side of his chest, bouncing off his breastplate denting it, but otherwise bruising the skin underneath. The soldiers jumped back in unison, ready to block any attacks.

Trey noticed that a single chair, missing a leg, sat leaned against the wall next to him. He returned his gaze to the soldiers, also bringing his leg up, kicking the chair at the far right soldier, who slashed down with his sword, cleaving the chair in two. But the force of the cut caused the sword to continue downward, lodging deep in the floor.

Trey flung to the right and twirled his body mid-air and brought his axe hand down to the man's neck. The blade sunk into flesh and came out the other end with a solid thud. The last soldier became wreck less and started flashing his blade through the air, Austin and the prisoner stepped back as the steel streaked across their personal space. Trey reared forward only to duck down and roll to the side as the soldier lunged at him. Trey didn't think or plan his next move, all he knew was to strike back. And so his axe flew through the air and sunk into the space behind the soldiers knee cap.

The man fell with an inhuman howl. Trey stood slowly as Austin finished the soldier off.

He sheathed his axe and turned to the spoked wheel used to raise and lower the portcullis, and pushed as hard as he could, straining every muscle. The other men added their strength to his and together the wheel began to turn, the ratchet on the side of the windlass clicking loudly as the huge wooden catch slid over the teeth below.

The effort needed to turn the wheel became substantially easier a few seconds later, a fact Trey attributed to the team he had sent to infiltrate the other guardhouse.

They didn't bother raising the portcullis all the way, for the fierce cries of freedom reached their ears from outside the guardhouse as the prisoners charged through the gate and out into the open fields that lay outside Aroughs. Trey left the wheel and ran down the stairs, the others in tow.

When they finally stopped to rest, hundreds of refugees sitting under what few trees that grew in the area, it was about late afternoon. About a mile from where they sat was a small cluster of brown buildings. White smoke rose from the chimneys, defiant of the wilderness around it. From where the makeshift army sat, up on a somewhat tall hill, farms were small square patches no bigger than their thumbs. The land around them was tan or sandy, where dead grass swayed in the wind.

After a quick break the prisoners decided to follow Trey and Austin back to Xeon, where they hoped to find a better life. They left the outcropping and started down the trail, each man grimacing at the steep descent. But fortunately the bottom came and by that time the sun was nearly across the sky.

The small village was composed of stout log buildings with low roofs-some thatched, others shingled. Smoke billowed from the chimneys, giving the air a woody smell. The buildings had wide porches where men gathered to talk and discuss business.

The large group of men drew looks from the village. Who would blame them, the group was made up of hallow-eyed, gaunt looking men each wearing a collection of tattered clothes.

Austin sped up, feeling the gaze of the villagers on his back, Trey and Adam walking alongside him…

The next day they arrived at the shore of the Flinseas River, which was a barrier that circled Xeon and then snaked towards the ocean where it poured into the sea. Several main bridges overlapped the river allowing passage to merchants and peasants, with routes that led directly to the city of Xeon, home to refugees that escaped the grips of the Empire.

Xeon is one of many rebel cities that are against the rule of King Aodin, the ruler of Salazier which was once the glorious and peaceful land of Alageasia. But after thousands of years foreign invaders came and took over the many kingdoms and set forth their armies to destroy the Old Order. The Dragon Riders never came back to help and, most believe, have disappeared across the eastern ocean to a mysterious land. The Elves have also gone into solitude and haven't been seen for centuries. Overall the only inhabitants of Salazier are humans, but that is what King Aodin wants everyone to believe.

The next few days were tiresome for the refugees and even more so to Adam who wasn't as strong as he was before his capture. The seemingly endless plains between the Flinseas River and Xeon were unrelenting. The infinite stretch of grass was mind numbing with the occasional birch tree that added a small amount of diversity to the greenery. The sky was only a blue hued reflection of the earth below with no differentiation other than the sun during the day and moon at night.

Eventually they reached a small forest that surrounded the back side of Xeon and provided the city with much of its livestock. Farms bordered the woods each producing rich and expensive crops. Several tributaries flowed into Xeon from the Flinseas River providing enough fresh water for the citizens within.

After refreshing in the river they continued with some strength returned to their fragile limbs. With doubled speed they reached the gates of Xeon by night fall and were met by a contingent of soldiers who, after spotting Trey, Austin, and Adam, allowed them passage, leading the refugees to the closest quarantine as Trey and Austin led Adam to Master Nolan for special healing.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Home again

When Adam woke up he found that he was not only feeling much better, but he was in a small single-windowed room. The snow white walls had red engravings of swirly designs that spun in a dizzy display. A single reddish-brown door was off to Adam's right; it was open, bringing with it a cool, soothing breeze. The room was peaceful.

But it hadn't dawned on Adam that he was in Xeon until Trey and Austin burst into the room.

"You're awake?" Said Austin, questioningly, even though it didn't seem like a question to Adam, Austin sat down at the edge of the bed as Adam sat up, his blanket sliding down into his lap.

"Yes I'm awake. Um… what happened?" Asked Adam, a sense of confusion in his now stronger voice." I don't remember being brought up to Xeon."

Now it was Trey's turn to speak." You had passed out when we got here. The magicians said it was just because of dehydration." He sounded relived that 'dehydration' was the only reason for Adam passing out.

Adam stretched then slid his hands through his brown hair."Well is it breakfast or what, because I am starving." Adam said, longing for the taste of real gourmet food.

Austin hopped off the bed and walked to the door as if the talk of food had brought him back from a daydream."Good idea, I'll let the chefs know." And with not a second to lose he ran out of the room and out of view.

Adam hadn't noticed that Trey was holding a pair of fresh clothes until they were flung into his face. "Get dressed," Said Trey's voice as he left the room.

When Adam pulled the clothes off his face he found that he was alone…

Adam left the comfort of the medical room and headed down a path through the garden, also the resting place of Xeon's greatest magician, Xenon. His tomb stood in the center of the garden, a large circular burial chamber with a high vaulted roof and a straight passageway lined with stone, and deep inside was Xenon's coffin sealed by magic so not even time could ravage him.

As he walked by he noticed an irregular shaped brick in the left exterior wall, but paid it no mind as his thoughts were diverted to the smell of fresh baked bread just being pulled out of the hot oven.

He was near the mess hall, fresh smell of food wafting into the morning breeze. He hurried across the courtyard, a flat area of stone with colorful tiles that covered the area, and up the steps into the mess hall where he was greeted with friendly servants who took him to his seat.

Trey and Austin were there surrounded by mounds of meat, fresh with hot steam swirling into the air, bread, smothered in sweet honey, and fruits, all different colors; red, green, yellow…, and other such edibles.

Adam sat and immediately began devouring the sustenance that was within his grasp. When his stomach was crowded and sticking out he sat back and issued a massive belch.

"So how was your breakfast?" Asked Trey, finishing his food and handed the plate to a servant who walked to the kitchen to dispose of the leftovers.

Adam patted his stomach and said." Very delicious. Best food I've had in months."

Austin stood, satisfied, and said with a hint of wisdom."Better clear your conscience, we are scheduled to meet up with Nolan right after we are done eating."

"Well let's go ahead." Said Adam standing and exiting the mess hall.

They exited the mess hall and down the stone steps onto the tiled courtyard. Several soldiers-in-training sparred with wooden swords. Each one defending each other from their opponents attacks.

On the opposite side from where the soldiers sparred was the Master's Villa, a large residential building with a wide porch with wooden columns that bordered the porch. The wood was colored with a reddish paint.

And as if knowing that they approached, Nolan opened the door and stepped onto the porch. He was wearing a royal sapphire blue cape with a cotton shirt dyed black.

His long silky brown hair streamed down his face, barely interfering with his shoulders. He was clean shaven, not a single facial hair on his face. His chiseled features suggest that he was strong, healthy, and well kept. All in all, despite his age, he looked young, and sometimes acted it.

"Adam, good to see that you're still in one piece!" Nolan shouted from across the courtyard.

Adam only smirked in response to Nolan's statement.

Nolan continued walking; closing what space remained between them."I see that you not only rescued Adam, but also hundreds of battle-raged men as well." Said Nolan, now standing directly in front of the group, referring to Trey and Austin. He let out a harmless chuckle.

"Yes sir, we did." Trey Answered looking to Austin for reassurance.

Trey has been waiting for a moment such as this to finally complete his duties and ascend to rank of sergeant. He had been in first class private for several months, since about the time that Adam disappeared. If rescuing Adam was enough he could finally be upgraded.

Austin had made it clear that he wanted to stay in the spy category. Trey had often teased him saying 'all that spies do is climb into trees just to gather secretive information'. Austin didn't care he would stay as a spy; it was the easiest military rank to be accumulated in.

"Well, I would like to talk with Adam in private. You and Austin can go to the training grounds and… well, train." Said Nolan motioning Adam to follow. They left Trey and Austin behind and walked up the wooden steps to the Masters Villa...

By dusk Adam left Nolan's presence and into his long-awaited room and fell into his soft bed. He wondered about what Nolan had said when they had talked earlier. He had said that Morbid, an evil magician that obeyed Aroughs king, had found a way to alter magic and become immortal. By him doing this Morbid wouldn't be able to die at the hands of any regular magician such as Nolan or Adam, but by a weapon only heard of in myths.

The Soul Reaper. A sword that was created to be able to conquer any immortal. Long ago, several men found a mystical stone that granted them long life and other unknown powerful ascendancies. These men were thought to be gods, and that's where many of the myths of powerful beings came from. The men ruled over Salazier, but then was named Alageasia, in complete dominance, the land divided evenly amongst them.

But their power grew too influential and the land began to die. So came the birth of the Soul Reaper. A group of about ten magicians came together and formulated a plan to put the men to rest once and for all. They forged a sword and enchanted it with many spells causing three of them to die. The sword, once it pierced the immortals flesh, would devour the entities life completely, leaving no sign that the immortal had ever lived to begin with.

But his thoughts were brought back to his room. He lay curled in his bed and for the first time since he was captured he relaxed and feel into a deep slumber.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Adam duels

The next four days Adam trained and sparred with fellow soldiers as a means to enhance his fighting skill. He also trained with Nolan, in magic combat, increasing in his knowledge of the Ancient Language, the language that the elves used when they traveled to this land many years ago; it was also used to preform magical spells.

On the fifth day he rolled out of bed refreshed and energized. He belted his sword to his waist and slung his bow and full quiver across his back. After a leisurely stroll through the city he met up with Trey and Austin by the southern main city gate.

"Hey." Said Austin, he too had his sword strapped to his waist. They had planned on going to the training grounds to spar with each other.

Trey sluggishly walked up beside Austin.

"I'm restless. Let's hurry and go to the training fields." Said Trey, tapping the hilt of his sword, which, for the time being, he had switched with his axe.

The unruly clatter of fighting reached them from the field: the loud clang of steel clashing on steel, the solid thump of arrows striking padded targets, the rattle and crack of wooden staves, and the shouts of men in mock battle. The noise was confusing, yet each group had a unique rhythm and pattern.

The field was taken up by several soldiers that stood in an even formation holding their shields up charging at their opponent outfitted with swords, spears, maces, flails, and staves. Nearly all the fighters wore armor, usually chain mail and a helmet; plate armor not as common. Behind the sparring soldiers, a broad line of archers fired, in unison, at gray sackcloth dummies or padded targets.

"Okay. Who goes first?" Asked Austin. He wasn't one too immediately offer his assistance until he knew who he was fighting, but even though he knew Adam, who always seemed to change his fighting strategies so it was almost impossible to best him.

Trey, always the first to take action, said."I'll go."

He stepped forward and proclaimed," I claim the right of trial by arms. Draw your sword."

_He wants to fight me._ Adam thought to himself.

_It's a harmless duel._ The other part of him said.

Adam reluctantly stepped forward. They faced each other, circling an imaginary circle. Trey drew his sword with his right hand; his sword was longer and thinner than Adams, but just as sharp. Adam slid his sword out of its polished sheath and held the black blade point-down by his side. For a long moment they stood motionless, man against man watching each other.

Trey moved forward with extreme caution. In a blur of motion Adam jumped at him, slashing at his ribs. Trey reflexively parried the attack, and their swords met in a flashing shower of sparks. Treys sword was swatted to the side as if it were no more than a fly. Adam did not take advantage of the opening, however, but spun to his right and struck at Trey's other side. Trey barely blocked the blow and backpedaled frantically, stunned by Adam's sudden ferocity and speed.

Adam attacked again as Trey became, at the worst time possible, distracted by his thoughts, but this time he swung at Trey's head. He ducked under the razor-sharp edge. But then why was he…toying with him? For a few long seconds he was too busy warding Adam off to think about it, and then he realized, _he wants to know how proficient I am._

Understanding that, he began the most complicated series of attacks he knew, most of which weren't even real moves at all, but those he made up that instant. He flowed from one pose to another, recklessly combining and enhancing them in every way possible. But no matter how inventive he was, Adam always blocked his attacks, matching him with effortless strengths.

Suddenly Trey's hands weighed down on him and his attacks became slower, but still he pushed on. For several hours they went on, blocking, attacking, attacking, and then blocking. But Trey couldn't find a weak point on Adam.

Trey went to attack again, hopelessness telling him that his move would only be blocked, when suddenly, without notice, he felt a cold metallic surface touch his neck.

"You're dead!" Adam exclaimed, he hadn't even broken a sweat, and lowered his sword. Trey smiled and whispered, "Dead." Adam looked down to see a dagger, which Trey must have taken out as they fought, pressed against his side.

Trey sheathed his sword and turned to met Adam's gaze."Shall we always end a fight with a tie?" Trey hissed between large gasps of air.

Adam shrugged, but somewhere deep inside he was thinking, _never._ Adam became suddenly aware that they had drawn a crowd, which now applauded Adam's advanced combat skills.

Austin was next to Adam, patting him on the back."Incredible, excellent swordsmanship." He commented. "Now, what do you say that you and I battle."

Adam laughed and stopped in his tracks. With a swift jump backwards he lunged at Austin, who expertly dodged the attack and jumped to the side, unsheathing his sword in the process. The green blade was even more marvelous when by itself, but with the sun's reflection it had no comparison with any jewel.

They faced each other, swords drawn and in defensive positions, awaiting for the other to make a move. Adam was first to attack, he flung his sword overhead then jumped a good five feet off the ground, aiming for Austin's head, the blow would have caused instant death, but thankfully they had applied wards to their swords, and themselves which would allow no harm to come to them if the attack was deadly.

Luckily Austin parried the blow and returned an attack to Adam's unprotected ribcage. Adam jumped back as the sword harmlessly rubbed the surface of his tunic. He then turned and did an unexpected move. He jumped through the air and somersaulted over Austin's head, striking him in the shoulder, his wards preventing harmful damage, otherwise, allowing a small scratch. Austin ducked too late as Adam landed behind him.

Austin flashed his sword around his back catching Adam unawares. The sword glanced off the tip of Adam's sword, startling him. He lurched back then stopped and took in his surroundings. Austin stood on a small bump in the training field, the sun to Adam's right, which meant that if he could maneuver Austin in the opposite direction, he would be facing the sun.

He knew that Austin was confident he could defeat him. He was sure he did not disregard his abilities, but however conscious he was of his skill and his desire to improve. Those experiences had shown him that he would be easy to defeat, even if, intellectually, he might know better. His confidence, therefore, was his weakness.

He sidled forward a few feet and twitched his sword, causing Austin to lurch slightly. But his face, however, remained impassively blank. A moment later, Austin charged him, as if he was going to tackle him and drive him to the ground.

Adam sprang backward, edging to the right, so as to begin guiding Austin in the direction he wanted. Austin stopped short several yards away from him and remained as still as an animal caught in a clearing.

Austin crossed the intervening distance between them with a single bound and began swinging his sword with heavy, looping blows that he blocked with quick thrusts of his sword. Adam let him attack without opposition, as if his blows were too strong for him to do anything about, other than defending himself. With every loud, painful jolt to his sword and shoulder, he retreated farther to the right, stumbling now and then to give the impression of being driven back.

And still he remained calm and composed.

He knew the opportune moment would arrive before it did, and once it had, he acted without thought or hesitation, without attempting to be fast or slow, seeking only to fulfill the potential of that single moment.

As Austin's sword descended toward him in a flashing arc, he pivoted to the right, sidestepped the blade while also putting the sun squarely at his back.

The tip of Austin's sword buried itself in the ground with a solid thunk. Then he turned his head so as to keep his gaze on Adam, and made the mistake of looking directly into the sun. He squinted and his pupils retracted to small, dark dots. While Austin was blinded, Adam stabbed his sword into his chest.

"Dead!" Adam shouted by mistake. He quickly slumped to the ground, sweat coated his skin with a shiny film.

Austin joined him and, over the noise of the cheering spectators and Trey's congratulations, said, "Perhaps you are the best warrior out of us all."

Adam mockingly laughed, hoping not to increase Austin's complement to make it seem that he was bragging. But somewhere deep inside he was thinking the same thing. After several minutes of resting he stood and with a swift jab Adam sheathed his sword and walked away, causing a hush to spread over the crowd.

Austin smiled teasingly at Trey then strode off after Adam. Trey shrugged and ran for the showers, he had been offered an opportunity to fight Adam again and decided that their duel was just practice; the real fight would come in several days.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The War Games

The city of Xeon held an annual contest called 'The War Games'. They were created by a Xeonian warrior who perfected all combat strategies. He had hoped that it would help choose the cities fiercest men, who would in turn help out in the military. But over the years it has turned into a festivity where the people of Xeon would gather and watch as soldiers faced each other in combat.

The basic outline of the contest was simple; there would be two groups of men, each with an equal number of fighters. Amongst each group only two would fight each other until one man from each group was left. Then those two would then fight each other, the winner would receive twenty crowns and a year's supply of food.

There were already signs of the long awaited contest, large posters hung from businesses campaigning the man they supported, chef's carried carts of pastries, cakes, bread, and other such goods up to the courtyard where the games were being held. As he continued walking he glanced at a poster with a very accurate painting of Adam on it, the artist must have known ever detail in Adam's features because it looked exactly like him.

Trey walked down the western side of the city, the clacking of hooves drove near as a horse rounded a corner pulling a heavily loaded cart. The War Games were at night, the sun was now just beginning to set casting an orange glare into the cloudless sky.

Trey reached the large twenty foot wide stairs that lead about a hundred yards up hill, to the courtyard where the games were being held. He climbed the stairs with agonizing slowness and, after several minutes, reached the courtyard.

Nolan was standing to the far northeastern side of the courtyard inspecting the production of the tents and stands. Adam was walking with Austin; he was suited in full battle armor with his sword sheathed on his belt. He held his helm under his right arm pressed against his side.

The last of the preparations were being dwelt with as Trey returned to his group, he would be opposing Adam's team. The sun had disappeared behind the mess hall's tower, silhouetting the tower's outline and casting a large shadow across the courtyard.

People began lighting torches along the arena's border and soon the courtyard was well lit. With that done and the audience settling in their seats Christopher, Xeon's main military captain, walked to the center of the arena and boomed to the spectators, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the thirtieth annual 'War Games!'"

The crowd roared with excitement, some jumped into the air while others remained in their seats cheering and clapping.

"Now this evening we will go as we usually do, two opposing teams will send one man at a time to the battlefield, the winner will continue until he defeats his opponents or is defeated himself. This will go on until everyone has fought and one man from each team is left. Then the two men will fight each other to determine this year's winner." Christopher shouted, as if on cue the two teams entered the arena, each group on either side of the courtyard.

Then Christopher went over the rules and stated that any serious injuries will result in automatic removal of the attacker, however, scrapes and small cuts were allowed. Also no magic was to be used. After a brief speech he turned the audience's attention to the soldiers.

A large stand was positioned right in front of the arena giving the royalist a view of the entire courtyard. The royalist consisted of, King Xeno, Master Nolan, Christopher, the nobles, and priests.

The groups of fighters stood opposite each other as the announcer, a short stubby man by the name of Berol, approached a podium and began shouting the first contestants' names.

"First up we have Aetius and Ahenobarbus." As he said their names two men stepped out on to the courtyard.

Aetius was from Adam's side, his name meant 'eagle'. The reason for this was that when he was a child, Aetius had caught a full grown male eagle with his bare hands. And thus Aetius was granted his name. Aetius wasn't the one to attract wondering eyes, but when it came to battle he stole the show.

Ahenobarbus wasn't really the guy's name, but due to his bronze colored beard, the meaning of his name was born. Though he lacked education he made up for it with strength and overly sized muscles. He also was physically strong when it came to sword combat.

Aetius and Ahenobarbus were an even match.

The fight started when Berol smashed a metal mallet against a gong creating a smooth low sound that rippled through the quiet crowd.

The two men drew their swords and faced each other for a moment, and then Aetius charged, swinging his sword. Ahenobarbus tried to block the attack but was too slow. He yelped as Aetius struck him on the breast plate, causing a low thrum to reverberate into the surrounding area, and stumbled backward. The crowd gave a quick cheer for Aetius while Ahenobarbus's fans gave an encouraging chant.

Without thinking, he lunged forward, but Aetius parried the blow with ease. Suddenly, flashing with rage, Ahenobarbus whipped his sword towards Aetius's head, twisted it at the last moment, and then tried to hit his side. The solid ring of metal pounding metal resounded through the arena. Aetius moved in a wrong angle and was tripped by Ahenobarbus's over sized foot.

Aetius fell and Ahenobarbus pointed his sword down to him.

Aetius lost.

The crowd acknowledged Ahenobarbus's extensive fighting skills by shouting loudly at his victory. Ahenobarbus returned to his team as the next two fighters stepped out to meet.

"Next we have Anthony and Cornac!" Berol shouted from his spot at the podium.

The next two fighters fought with complete vigor and ferocity. They sparred for some time before Cornac, from Adam's team, won by disarming Anthony and sticking his sword at his chest.

Anthony retreated amongst the crowd as Cornac returned to his team.

The night went on like so. Men won men lost, but only the best made it to the finals and those men were Adam and Trey.

They stepped onto the courtyard as Berol informed the audience of the contestants." And the most awaited part of the War Games!" he shouted." The finales. Adam and Trey have fought through the night to achieve the spotlight. Who will win?"

The crowd gave a mixture of 'Adam' and 'Trey'. Berol hit the gong again and the fight started.

They didn't wait longer than a second. This time Trey attacked first. He lunged at Adam, who sidestepped and smashed Trey in the back with the hilt of his sword. Trey recovered fast and spun inhumanly fast, swung his sword towards Adam's armored chest, but to his dismay Adam parried the blow and leapt towards Trey. He tackled him to the ground and rolled back onto his feet, Trey still recovering from the impact.

Adam was about to claim victory when Trey shot up and resumed his stance. Trey charged Adam again as they locked themselves into battle. Engaged in a fiery dance, their bodies were linked then separated by their flashing swords.

Trey could not remember how long they fought. It was timeless, filled with nothing but action and reaction. His sword grew leaden in his hands; his arms burned ferociously with each strike. At last, he lunged forward; Adam nimbly sidestepped, sweeping the point of his sword up to Trey's jawbone with unnatural speed.

Trey froze as he felt the icy metal touch his skin. Dimly he heard the loud murmur of Master Nolan approving of Adam and Trey's fight with Christopher, and the audience cheering raucously around them. Adam lowered his sword and sheathed it."You have done well." He said quietly amid all the noise.

The members of Trey's group came out to congratulate him, patting him on the back for a job well done. Even though Trey had lost, he won to his team for making it as far as he did during the night. With nothing else to do he resisted the urge to sleep and decided to have a good time as a large feast came underway as the people began crowding a large table now being brought out to the center of the courtyard.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Aroughs approaches

Three weeks after the annual War Games Christopher was informed of an army approaching Xeon with numbers that evenly matched their own. The whereabouts of the group of soldiers was unknown at the moment, but it was evident that they were enemies. Christopher had suspicions that it was Aroughian soldiers seeking revenge for the prison raid led by Trey and Austin.

Those prisoners who escaped Aroughs were now healthy and well fit. The news of the procession of soldiers caused a longing hatred to arouse into their eyes. They too wanted revenge for being captured. When the city of Xeon welcomed them in they were unsure, but weeks later they grew accustomed to the new life and wanted to fight for Xeon.

Adam was in full battle armor waiting at the southern gate, the specific spot where Aroughs was estimated to breach. Trey and Austin stood on either side of him, they too in battle armor.

It was predawn, a brooding fog arrived in Xeon as if signaling them of Aroughs. The sky lighting as the first rays of sun light conquered the darkness of night. A fresh mysterious breeze blew through the city streets, carrying with it the remnants of the War Games.

The Xeon army was split into even sized groups and posted at all four main entrances. The walls were fortified with cannons, catapults, and ballistae, along with archers who were positioned inside of the wall where they would use the arrow slits.

After about an hour of waiting the soldiers grew tired and less alert. But that soon was put back into gear as a faint call of a hunting horn erupted the quietness. As it faded, fear gripped the soldiers. Then two more horns winded, sending a chill down Adam's back. Then another horn, this time much closer.

Suddenly all became silent. For minutes they waited, but nothing happened. Then in an instant yet another sounded, but this time much louder and sounded very close. Without warning the walls began to shake as large rocks were catapulted into it.

"They are trying to break our defenses!" Shouted a voice from somewhere in the jumble of soldiers.

The soldiers stood firm, awaiting the dangers to come. The walls shook again, dust and debris flew into the air from the impact.

Trey, now bearing a battle axe, stepped forward as if he were about to charge through the wall and towards the enemy.

Austin was gripping the pommel of his lime green sword. The sword seemed to glow in the fog. Austin glared hatefully in the direction of the oncoming enemy.

Adam held his sword parallel with the ground, the point facing the wall. He had fought many battles, all of which he won, and felt extremely confident about this one.

Suddenly a messenger, a boy of about sixteen, ran up to them, breathing heavily as if he ran around the city three times before coming to them.

Dark eyebrows rested above his intense blue eyes. His clothes were old and worn from running around the city relaying messages to and from the military. A hunting knife with a wired handle was strapped to his belt; he also had a bow which was protected, from the mist, by a buckskin tube.

He approached Adam and said." Sir, our spies report that a black dragon has come along with the army, he is just several miles from us."

A black dragon. That could mean that Morbid was coming. Morbid was an evil magician, and if what Nolan told him was true then he would be immortal. Years ago he had come across a dragon egg. He hatched it and helped it grow, ever since then the dragon, Arnes, became attached to him. They fought with each other every time there was a battle.

Adam, trying to hide his fear, said." Have the reports been confirmed?"

The boy nodded.

"Then get somewhere safe."

The boy gladly ran off.

Adam turned to look at Austin's and Trey's worried faces. Adam tried to sound confident." Don't worry, we will win." Then suddenly felt that his words had been a lie as the city wall collapsed rubble and dust billowing out of the damage.

Enemy soldiers rushed in through the hole, emerging mysteriously from the dust. The first wave was easily shot down as a cloud of arrows whizzed towards them, only to be replaced by more soldiers gushing in like an uncontrollable river.

They had built a palisade in front of the army's ranks, where the first row of archers fired from. The adversaries' line wavered, threatening to break, but they covered themselves with their shields and weathered the attack. Again the archers fired, but the foes continued to stream onto the surface at an alarming rate.

Adam was dismayed by the enemy's sheer numbers. They were supposed to kill them all? It seemed like a madman's task. His only encouragement was that he saw no sign of Morbid. Not yet, at least.

The opposing army formed a large mass of bodies that seemed to stretch endlessly. Tattered and sullen standards were raised in the enemy's midst. Baleful notes echoed through the city as war horns sounded once more. The entire group of soldiers gave their war cries as they both charged each other, weapons blazing and fiery eyes boring into the opposing teams.

The enemy dashed against the rows of stakes, covering themselves with slick blood and limp corpses as the ranks at the vanguard were crushed against the posts. A cloud of arrows flew over the barrier at the defenders, striking unfortunate soldiers. The sound of dying men was not a joyous sound and created fear and sadness in the minds of younger less experienced soldiers. The more battled hardened of the army wasn't bothered by the deathly sounds of anguish and death.

But still the battle continued rough and bloody, as most battles are, and , though it seemed, never-ending. Blood soaked the streets and fire spread from building to building, devouring wood and melting the stone supports causing them to collapse in a fiery inferno. The battle lasted for hours and hours, those of which Adam and Austin spent searching for Nolan. And after a while they found him protecting a family hidden behind a shop whilst Nolan threw lightning bolts and fire balls into the mass of soldiers.

Earlier that day all the civilians in the city had retreated to the more fortified part of the city, the castle. The parents tried to quiet their bawling baby as Adam approached Nolan, Austin guarding the other side of the alley. The mother placed her child in the father's arms and clawed frantically at Adam as he passed, however, he ignored he pestering commands and continued walking.

"Yes I have." Replied Nolan as Adam told him of Morbid's arrival.

"What do you suggest we do about him?" Asked Adam, then he looked back to the family, "And them."

Nolan dodged a stray arrow and walked back behind the cover of the shop. "Well first we get them to safety, then we deal with Morbid."

Suddenly a hand touched Adam's shoulder, Adam reacted so fast the man didn't have any time to escape. Within a blink of an eye Adam had his sword pointed directly at the man's chest.

"Adam stand down now!" Commanded Nolan, his hand on his sword's handle.

Adam quickly returned his sword to its sheath and apologized to the man, "Sorry, it's the middle of a war, all my senses are active."

The woman almost started crying as she held her child close to her body. The man breathed out the breath he'd been holding and grabbed his chest, "S-sorry." He said hesitantly. "Is their any way I could help."

For some reason his wife started protesting, "No! I don't think so, your son may never know you as the father I'm sure he wants you to become, stay and…"

"Shush woman." The man's words silenced the woman quickly.


	8. Chapter 7

I have not yet reached the part in my story where Eragon and his student Riders return to Alageasia, but don't worry it will happen, I just need some help before I develop too much of the plot without ideas. Eragon and Saphira will return with an army of Dragons and Riders. There are three Riders and Dragon besides Eragon that will be the main Riders followed in the story. But there is a downfall, I need names for those Riders and their Dragons. I will be providing the life of the Rider.

I would like two to be guys and one to be a girl, I don't care about their race (Dwarf, Urgal, Elf, or Human), their names are whats important I will eventually flow with the race ya'll choose. Leave your reply in the reviews and I will choose the best names and the race that go with it. The name of the Riders sword will be in your hands, also the name of their weapon.

As for the Dragon, the gender doesn't matter much but I would like fierce and strong names, color will be up to you as will its personality. And I would like if you could give a description of the dragon, but that's not required. Any other info that I forgot to mention that you would like to provide, please do. Thnx.

-Abraxus7RON.

P.S. I do not own any of the Inheritance cycle, only the Characters, cities and others I have created.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

Morbid arrives

The family stood behind their protectors as they left the somewhat safety of the alley and into the streets where blood formed a red carpet up and down the roads, as if leading them to their doom. But Nolan wasn't going directly towards the castle because he knew a secret way that would be safer than just walking through the battle field itself and risking certain death.

They headed down streets littered with dead bodies and fallen parts of buildings. The city looked dreadful with no peace existing in it, but just weeks ago it had been the home place of citizens enjoying a celebration with family and friends. During that time Xeon was covered in lights and tapestries, fellowship was part of life then, everyone met newcomers and made them feel welcome. Now those same people had either found refuge behind the thick walls of the castle or died amongst the fighting.

"Why aren't we heading for the castle?" Asked the man, covering his wife and child with his body, willing to protect them no matter what.

Adam turned and said, "We can't go directly towards the castle, it's too dangerous. The safest way would be to head around the battle area, which is now centered near the castle, and enter a secret passageway that goes right underground and into the castle itself."

The woman nodded when Adam spoke of the safe way.

Adam turned back around and they snuck through another alleyway onto another street where they found a contingent of enemy soldiers patrolling the area. Adam told his companions to remain hidden as he sprinted up behind the patrol.

With quick movements he flew through the air at a support column of a shop and wall-jumped up higher at the heels of a soldier that was associated with the convoy. He then kicked the soldier in the back of his head, with the right amount of force enough to kill him. He landed viciously and pulled a dagger out from his belt speedily and stabbed the next soldier in the back as he turned, alerted by the commotion. With inhuman speed Adam spun around and slid his leg out in front of him, tripping another soldier and stabbed him with a second dagger before he hit the ground.

The other soldiers were ready by then and now ran to intercept the intruder. The first warrior was punched in the neck, which was snapped with a loud pop. The one after that held a battle axe, similar to Trey's, and went to swing it at Adam, but he was to slow and Adam was able to grab the hilt of the axe, snatched it from the man and spun furiously with the axe held out. The soldier fell with an axe blade embedded in his stomach.

The handle had broken off, but Adam was able to use it as a weapon and quickly killed the last soldier by stabbing his throat with the shattered, serrated end of it. The soldier fell to the ground as Adam turned around motioning his teammates to move out.

Nolan, and Austin walked out onto the road unaffected by the attack, however, the family gazed with amazement mixed with fear at Adam as they passed him. They didn't make it far when they heard an ear piercing roar that blocked out all other noise and caused the activity in the city to seemingly cease.

Adam looked to the south to see a black dragon hovering above the skyline, his enormously sized wings beating with the sound of a thunderhead. Arnes is very large, and thickly-built with a massive chest and a long sinuous neck. His hide is a rich, lustrous black with large scales that are supple yet hard as rock. A crest made of peaked bone spikes ran from his head down his back and ended, in bristled spikes, on the tip of his tail. Its fangs shine a coppery-red when reflected by light. Deep inside his mouth a constant light emits a faint glow. His serpentine face was cruel and callous. Arnes was a symbol of evil and corruption. He only arrives at a battle that he is certain he can win.

Adam didn't waste any time, he had to move forward and take out any patrolling soldiers up ahead as Nolan and Austin guarded the family. "Okay, I'll go up ahead and wipe out any awaiting forces, ya'll remain here and slowly escort the family forward."

The streets grew emptier and emptier as Adam moved towards the front of the castle, he kept an eye on the shadows, wary that some unknown enemy could be waiting for him, and on the giant form of Arnes, who, for half an hour, remained above the city, most likely wanting to scare the soldiers of Xeon into surrendering. His wings gave a continuous yet rhythmic beat that Adam soon got used to.

The sounds of battle echoed across the almost barren city, betraying the presence of enemy soldiers. Adam jumped into the shadows as a group of Aroughian soldiers walked into view, each holding a spear in their hands, and wearing their shiny armor and black tunics. From his vantage point atop a tavern he could count an amount of ten soldiers.

Luckily they weren't close together. In their scattered formation Adam could easily Take them all out, but they all seemed very alert as if they came across a stray Xeonian soldier recently. Adam waited till they almost passed by and attacked the farthest soldier from his group.

With a quick swipe of his hand a hidden blade shot out of his right handed sleeve and whizzed through the air limited by the length of the rope it was tied to, and plunged into the man's neck and out the other side. Adam pulled on the rope and lifted the man into the air where he gurgled the blood now filling his throat and died, hung by the neck from the lamp post of the tavern.

The other soldiers turned around to find that a puddle of blood had replaced their comrade. They were not stunned by the sight and eventually saw the limp corpse hanging by a small harpoon attached with a rope. It wasn't long before they heard a struggle behind them and rotated to find their leader on the ground, his own spear sprouting from his chest.

Their voices filled the air as fright filled their hearts, their hands quivered as they held their spears at the ready. One began to banter about a killer ghost seeking revenge for the death going on.

Adam quieted him with his bow and arrow. The soldier turned pale and collapsed before the eyes of his fellow companions with and arrow burrowed deep in his back.

"We're under attack!" One man screamed.

The others held still and glanced nervously around the surrounding buildings. Fear was evident in their faces, and their knees which shook tremendously, threatening to collapse any moment.

Adam watched from the foggy window of the tavern, he had entered it through a roof hatch and had stood their the next few minutes waiting to see what the soldiers would do. It was somewhat amusing to him to see the men cowering in fear, well that is all except one.

One of the soldiers wasn't shacking with abhorrence but stood firm and confident, he was also the only soldier that held an axe, while his comrades wielded spears. The axe even had a set of inscriptions Adam thought seemed familiar to him.

He smiled and jumped through the window, shattering the grass and braking the frame, and landed on the street, surprising the soldiers. The one with the axe, however, suddenly seemed to relax.

Okay, thought Adam, lets dance.

He ducked down as a sword was slung over his head, he leaned back and dodged another sword and then punched one soldier in the chest. With the two soldiers on either side of him he had to switch fighting methods: close combat.

He fought with a mixture of punches, kicks and dodges. He suffered no hits as his opponents grew bruises all over. He finally got past their swords and knocked them out of their hands. Before they could react Adam jumped into the air and tilted his body horizontally and grabbed the head of one soldier with his hands and the other with his feet. As he fell he twisted his body dramatically, snapping both the soldier's necks. He landed on his hands and feet as the corpses fell to the floor.

The other soldier with the axe stood still as Adam straightened his body and poised vertically, staring intently at the man.

"Now why did you do that?" Said the man, sheathing his axe.

"Look at me, I'm an assassin." Said Adam, holding out his hands. "Trey."

The man removed his helm and threw it the cobblestone road, the blood from the mangled bodies streaming between the webbed cracks of the street.

"What were you doing with the Aroughian soldiers?" Adam asked, curiously.

"Under cover." Trey said with a smirk on his face.


	10. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Before I start the chapter, I would like to thank 14athomas for the support. Recently I asked for help with names for three Riders, one female and two male. 14athomas gave me the female's name and other info about her. All credit for this character and her dragon goes to 14athomas. Thnx.

**Chapter 9**

**Morbid retreats**

The small group proceeded through the almost barren end of the city, most of the action occurring at the city's center as the enemy soldiers fought to capture the castle. They strived to stay hidden from Arnes who flapped high above the city keeping an eye over the battle. Already fearless soldiers attacked the dragon from the tops of buildings with bows and arrows. Arnes easily ceased their attack by destroying the buildings with a single swipe of his tail, killing the soldiers atop it.

Adam stealthily led the group through each street as if he had mapped out where to go, without enemy resistance. They made good time and eventually reached the secret entrance, the city's cathedral.

The large church was distinguished by its tall, thick bell tower which was supported by four flying buttresses that extended from the ground up to the base of the tower. Its round-headed arches, and bold tiers of arcades on piers, which originally supported flat wooden roofs of which two have survived the battle, were extremely large in comparison with the rest of the structure. The decorated gothic style, with terraced windows, is further subdivided dependent upon whether the tracery is geometric or curvilinear.

As they entered the broken doors of the cathedral they were awed by the elaborate lierne vaulting in which the ribs were connected by intermediate ribs which did not spring from the walls and so were not major structural members. Columns lined the vaulted ceiling and extended to the ground with intricate designs carved into the stone. The interior was lighted by a group of overhanging chandeliers and by a fire that slowly ate away at a collapsed section of the roof.

Shadows danced across the floor as Adam made his way towards the entrance to the stage, the others in tow. He was surprised to find that a group of priests and civilians sat huddled in the corner bantering about their safety.

Adam ignored them and motioned the group towards the basement, calling Austin to remain with him. "I'm going on top of the bell tower to attack Arnes, hopefully I can do some damage."

Nolan nodded his approval and led the family down into the basement, locking the door behind him so no one would follow. Adam and Austin walked towards a small room with a single staircase that swirled up the inside of the tower. But not long after that they were interrupted by some voices calling to them.

Several priests walked up the stairs and screamed at them. The screams were not human and didn't resemble any animal Adam ever heard before. The howls made Adam and Austin jump and flinch at the ear piercing screech. Suddenly the priests' arms popped and grew a foot longer, as did their legs which bent in awkward angles, like that of a horse. Claws replaced their hands and feet, fangs grew from their now wider mouth. Their skin turned a dark grey and shimmered along their forearms and face, also shadowed by corded muscles that swiftly formed along their body.

"What in the…" Adam yelped, surprised by the strange creatures and his high pitched cry.

Austin whimpered then sprinted up the stairs with unbelievable speed, passing Adam and reaching the towers first floor in seconds. Adam charged the creatures which were now clambering up the steps with fast movements of their awkwardly shaped limbs.

He unsheathed his sword and struck the first creature on the head with the flat of his blade and kicked the next creature down the stairs. Another one leaped over the tumbling body of its partner and swung an arm at Adam, which was sliced off by a slash of metal. It screeched evilly and reared back to attack again only to be met with an arrow.

"Yes!" Austin yelled, conscience of himself, he reached into his quiver for another arrow.

Adam nodded to Austin then went after the next creature, swinging his sword vigorously. The creature fell with an arrow implanted into its head. Adam, seeing that the job was done, ran up the stairs.

"Hurry," He told Austin, "We need to get to the top in order to attack Arnes."

Austin followed Adam and together they reached the floor directly below the top of the tower when another growl filled the air, only this time it was from outside the tower. The air grew hot and smelled of burning wood, Adam looked up to see a wave of red fire flow into the tower, instantly dissolving the wooden roof and melting the stone.

The tower shook as if it was participating in an earthquake, the walls crumbled and exploded randomly as pressure in the stone built up causing it to expand. The monolith tilted and cracked with a loud snap. The top of the tower caved in and crashed upon the third floor, which wasn't strong enough to support the weight of the tower. The third floor collapsed and the debris plummeted downward.

Adam and Austin didn't have a choice but to jump. As they free fell towards the ground, a slight feeling of regret fell upon them, were they going to die. Death seemed the only option as the ground sped up to them. Adam didn't know what would happen, only that…

Stop, he told himself, don't think that way… Wait, what am I doing? I can use magic.

Seconds before they hit the ground Adam shouted, "Letta!"

They froze in the air and slowly dropped to the ground, but not long after that Adam saw the exorbitantly large mass of rock and dust falling above them.

"Stenr reisa!" was the only words heard as the remaining part of the tower filled with a mighty rushing wind that filled the passage and carried the unbelievably heavy cloud of stone back into the air where it blasted out the top if the tower, striking the large black dragon flapping calmly outside. With a roar Arnes fell back, crushed by the mass of stone that flew at him with crazy speed.

Adam collapsed with weariness as Austin cowered in fear as he tried to overcome the fear of being brushed by death. The tower was quiet, except the echo of the blast Adam caused that stretched over the city.

Adam tried to wake but couldn't as he felt his eyelids close without his command. Austin leaned his back against the cobblestone wall and looked over the floor, occupied by the corpses of the three strange creatures; he needed to talk to Nolan about it.

He suddenly heard war horns sound along with trumpets, not yet knowing if it were victory sounds of Xeon or Aroughs, and then he heard it. A voice from outside the cathedral shouted, "Morbid and Arnes are retreating, Aroughs is defeated, we've won!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Decisions made

Adam woke around evening, staring into the sky which was dotted with sparkling stars. The sky also appeared smoky as large clouds of silvery vapor passed overhead, often highlighted by dancing flames that moved in the wind, sparks being carried with it. It took a while for Adam to realize where he was. The tower's complete middle section and top was gone. Wooden planks stuck out the walls covered in a whirling torrent of flame.

Adam stretched then turned his head to the deathly form of Austin.

"Ahh!" Adam shouted with fear as he spotted a burning plank of wood lying across Austin's body, slowly burning him.

He quickly stood and was amazed at how weak he was, dots flickered across his field of vision and he almost collapsed. But he stood firm in knowing that his friend was being burnt alive.

"Austin!" He shouted, bending down to pick up the plank. "Austin !" He now had the wood in his hands, the heat from the fire starting to inflict damage upon him, and lifted it up with the remaining strength he had left in his limbs.

The wood was lifted long ways, pointing vertically into the air, causing the flames to scintillate upward for a moment as the log fell on its side sending a oscillation of sparks into the heavens. Adam pulled Austin away from the fire and set him on his back and started to try and wake him up.

But nothing happened and, as a burst of sparks lighted the night sky, Adam could see that Austin's skin was pale, the color of death.

"NO!" He bellowed, angrily. "Not today!" Adam looked to the sky and closed his eyes, feeling a tsunami of emotions wash over him. Austin was one of his best friends, many of his other compatriots had either left Xeon or died in battles. Trey and Austin were his only true friends with Nolan being more of a father than friend.

Without much more to do Adam put his hand over Austin and screamed, "Waise heill!"

The spell drained all energy left in him, but hopefully it would bring Austin back. Or at least Adam hoped. All his life he took life, he killed, killed, and killed some more. If just this once he could give life… then he would be redeemed and his soul would be in peace.

Later the next day, a group of Xeon soldiers found the bodies of Adam and Austin at the floor of the tower, both without a heartbeat. Being wary of bodies of some sort of creature, they grabbed their comrades and left. Nolan followed the ceremony of soldiers carrying the fallen soldiers to the medical rooms, for he believed there was still hope.

After a few days and several treatments Adam left the quarantine a different person. Having died then being alive again was a complete shock. The magicians offered to remove the memory of his death so he could return to normal, but, with the uttermost respect, he turned it down. He decided to live with what happened so as not to make the same mistake twice.

Before long he was met by Trey who mourned for Austin and celebrated Adam revival, and also requested guidance with the council of Elders for a trial.

"There was a teen soldier we found, from Aroughs mind you, who was found sneaking around the city, still in battle armor and weapons in hand. We don't know much about him for he will not speak about his intentions." Said Trey, Adam usually participated in trials for his undeterred wisdom helped choose the best solutions. Even though it maddened the Elders and almost started a feud once when Adam proclaimed a murderer to be put to life in prison rather than death. The Elders were considered bloodthirsty and often condemned innocent people to death.

"Have you figured out his name?" Adam asked, for if he knew the suspect's name he could then glen more information from him.

"Connor, but that's all he'll tell."

Okay, thought Adam, so Connor is most likely anti-social, looks like he needs a friend. Adam already began formulating a convincing argument.

Adam and Trey were led, by a messenger no older than ten years old. He stared wide eyed at them as he turned down the street.

"Do you think Austin'll be okay?" Asked Trey. He repeatedly tapped his leg with his index finger.

Adam thought a while then said."I don't know, it's hard to tell with all those burn marks and such."

Trey looked to the ground, worry cloaking him in a depressing blanket. He and Austin had been friends ever since they were little toddlers. They grew up and went to school together; they were the best of friends. A friendship that may not last.

Adam had only known Trey and Austin ever since he was six years old. He had been found as a babe, wrapped in swaddling cloth and left just outside the city in a basket weaved out of reeds. No one knew who his family was, so a man named Frederic adopted him. But only two years after, Frederic went to war and never came back. Adam has been on his own since, no provider besides Nolan who took him in and clothed him and taught him all he knew.

They arrived at a stairway when the boy turned to them and said."They want you to meet them in the conference room."

Trey nodded and tossed the boy a silver coin.

The kid plucked the coin out of the air and, with a joyous expression, ran off deeper into the city.

Adam started down the stairs and past the entrance to the prison chambers and through a polished marble hallway up to a curved stone door, which simultaneously opened revealing the youth soldier, a Xeonian soldier, two men and women, the Council of Elders. But when their eyes fell upon Adam their faces hardened and they grunted complete and utter conniption.

"Adam, Trey, welcome come sit." Said a plump lady, motioning to two stone seats on the opposite side of the council.

Conscious that he was being watched, Adam surveyed the room, and then seated himself in the middle of a swath of empty chairs, so that the Council had to shift their positions to look at him.

The teen soldier, who Austin identified as Connor, knelt against the marbled floor, his reflection staring back at him.

"So," Said Adam as he seated himself, looking between the Elders and Connor. "What's seems to be the problem?"

The plump lady sat up and brushed a strand of hair that got stuck in the thick makeup that coated her face."Hm. Well some say he was sneaky around, plotting to kill people secretly. And… uhm, he says that he was hiding because he was scared and unwilling to fight."

Adam thought then said," So he is an assassin?"

Connor stood from his crouched position and shouted," No! I was just scared, I… hid so I could be safe."

_Well duh, isn't that what hiding is for._ Thought Adam, bringing a smile to his lips, But what he really said was," And what makes you think we should trust you."

Adam was sure the boy was innocent, but he still needed to look at him when he spoke to be sure.

The fat lady snorted, like a pig, then, in an unlady-like voice, said," We can't trust him, he is our enemy. He charged in our city with the intensions to fight whether he wanted to or not."

Adam laughed," And he chose not to."

The thin man stood, his chair scrapping across the floor, and bellowed," Watch who you're talking to. This is a human lady, not a wild animal!" Then as the man sat he gave a loving look to the female.

_They are most likely in love, gag. _Adam joked to himself, then, so as not to _upset_ anyone else he apologized." Sorry, my lady, I didn't mean to be rude."

Even though he said it sarcastically, the man smiled with approval.

Trey smiled at Adam's comment and a snicker echoed from where Connor stood.

The lady waved her head, as if to show off her white fuzzy hair. "So what will our decision be? Hold him prisoner or punish him, and then hold him prisoner."

Adam looked over to Connor who stood with his eyes downcast, but Adam could tell that he was on the brink of tears, for what reason Adam didn't know. Then he looked to each of the Elders, they all seemed pretty ecstatic about their decision.

Adam looked to Trey for reassurance. Even though they had no final say in what was to happen, if the Elders were somehow convinced then Connor would be free, but if not…

Adam stood, finally coming up with a sufficient plan.

"Connor, come here." The participants in the room seemed taken aback. "And you too soldier."

The two came forward and stopped in front of Adam, awaiting orders.

Adam looked to Connor, who returned his gaze with sorrowful eyes.

"Release his bindings." Adam commanded the soldier.

The Elders stood, grasping their weapons." Are you mad!?" They all shouted, almost in one breathe.

The soldier looked to the Elders, expecting another command. But when none came he pulled out a set of keys and unlocked Connors chains.

The shackles fell to the ground, sliding across the frictionless marble, with a loud clang. Connor stretched out his wrists and, with a surprised expression, looked to Adam.

"Now!" Adam said, making sure to raise his voice." Everyone in the room, take off you weapons and lay them in the tables center."

The Elders began to protest, but decided against it for they wanted to see what was going to happen. Once all the weapons were in the middle Adam told Connor to go chose whichever one he wanted.

Connor stood still, dumbfounded, until Adam told him again. Then he slid forward and looked over the assortment of daggers, swords, and knives.

Adam stood back awaiting Connors choice. The seconds went by slowly as Connor repeatedly picked up different weapons. Once he chose the plump ladies dagger, who reacted with a sigh of relief when he put it down.

Finally he picked up a curved silver blade with a wired hilt. Adam figured that it was the short mans dagger because he gasped when Connor held it up.

"Okay, now you may do whatever you wish." Adam said, he smiled shyly.

Connor looked around the room, at each individual person, and then with a grunt he put the dagger down.

"No, I'll face my punishment like a man, not run away and kill for the rest of my life. I'm not a coward anymore." Connor meant those words for he set the dagger down, where it was quickly retrieved by its owner, and went over to where his cuffs lied upon the floor.

Adam smiled, Connor had passed his test.

"Congratulations, you have passed. No punishment shall befall you this day." Adam said. He then walked up to the very stunned Connor and clasped his hand on his shoulder.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

The witch's prophecy

The next day Adam walked through the city with Trey, and Connor. Connor had spent the night at The Smug Inn on the western side of the city, also known as the Slums.

The sky was gem blue with little smoke smudges, the last of the previous battle fading away. The sun was a little past noon. The buildings around them were still damaged, with blood streaks, blast marks, and missing bricks and such.

Connor sped up to Adam and said." Thanks for… you know, yesterday."

Adam looked to him and smiled." Don't mention it."

Connor nodded. He was hoping that it wasn't a joke and that they were taking him to a torture room or something.

They passed a group of magicians that were creating spells that would fix the destructed buildings and walkways. Soon they reached the market area where a crowd had gathered, they were yelling and shouting.

"What's going on up there?" Connor asked, pointing towards the commotion.

Adam shrugged. The market was always busy, as if they didn't even notice that a battle had just taken place. "Probably an auction or…" He didn't finish his sentence because that moment an old lady wearing a gray, torn shawl walked out of the crowd.

Trey arched an eyebrow and said." Isn't that the witch? Aphelion, or something."

Adam nodded.

Aphelion was an elderly woman who claimed to have encountered spirits when she was a child and that those spirits gave her insight into the future. Everyone believed that she was a witch; in this case she was, because she actually told people about their future.

She walked with a limp and always had a curved, wooden cane at her side.

She stopped suddenly as she passed Adam, causing him too to stop. Then she slowly tilted her head in his direction.

_Okay, a little weird._ He said to himself. Then went to leave when a hand grasped his arm with an iron grip.

He flashed around, his free hand going to his sword. He saw that Trey and Connor had done the same.

"Hello… Adam." Said the witch, slamming her cane on the ground to as make a loud thud. Adam's hand twitched in her grasp.

"How do you know my name?" He asked, his hand tightening on his swords pommel.

Her lips parted to show filed teeth." Oh, the spirits tell me everything."

"Uh huh, sure."

The witch laughed cold-heartedly. She released her grip on Adam's hand and returned it to her cane, balancing her weight on it.

Adam arched an eyebrow at her then turned to leave.

"Ah, ah. I'm not done. The spirits have revealed your fortune to me."

Adam looked around him and noticed that a crowd had formed a semicircle that surrounded him and the witch.

Then returning his eyes to the witch he said."Great." sarcastically.

The witch seemed to ignore the comment and turned serious, looking deep into his eyes, as if she would be able to read everything that has transpired through his life.

Her eyes rolled back into her head until only the whites were showing. Seizures rippled through her body and she opened her mouth as if to say something.

Adam glanced back to Trey and Connor. " Is she okay?" Adam asked, struggling to hold the lady up.

They shrugged as he returned his worried gaze back to Aphelion.

The seizures stopped and the lady reappeared to her normal stance. Her voice shook as she spoke:

_A battle soon approaches, where you will be no more,_

_One that will guide you on an unfortunate path,_

_One that will guide you to a world unknown,_

_There you will find refuge and a power unlike your own,_

_And once you find your way home,_

_A death will take its toll._

**I know this one was short but I'm working on a longer one next. Please be patient with me and review, I want to know what ya'll think about the story so far and if there are any improvements I need to make. Enjoy.**

**-7RON **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12**

Off to Garner

"Two days ago our traders were attacked by a group of Aroughian soldiers who had retreated after we won. We need you, Adam, to take a group of soldiers and put this to justice." Said Christopher, as he slammed his dagger into his wood desk, the blade burrowed deep into the timber.

He had a pile of maps and charts on his desk, showing various points on it where the Aroughians were most likely to be.

There were several roads that led out of the city to other cities that they traded with. The roads were named after the product that made the most trade, for example: the road to the south was called the Jewelers Road because the cities in the south harvested gold, diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. The city to the east was called the Logger's Road because the forests that grew there were made up of the greatest wood in the planet, cedar, redwood, and pine. The road to the north was called Farmer's Road, the road that was ambushed by Aroughians. Those cities harvested great amounts of food like wheat, fruit, and vegetables.

Christopher pulled the knife out of the table and ran it along the Wheat Road on his map. "This road is imperative to be open for traders and caravans, for it is the only source of our food we can't grow down here in the south."

Adam looked up and down the map, deciphering easy ways to trap in the attackers. "So they blockaded the roads." Adam said to himself.

"And as far as we know they have killed any who travel them." Said Christopher, pointing at a spot on the road that ran past Carevl River. "This is the closest place to their last location, Garner village. We think they may be planning to attack it."

Adam studied the map then said, "Okay, I'll gather a group now and head out immediately."

Christopher looked to Adam and said, "We already sent an advance group ahead of you late last night. They should arrive at Garner village in about three days, then you will meet up with them and help protect the city." Christopher thanked him, then bid him farewell as Adam left to prepare for his journey.

The next morning Adam was awoken by a messenger who said it was time for him to head out.

"Your group is gathered at the northern gate." The messenger had said, then she turned, her dress waved in the air, and left the room, followed by the scent of crushed pine needles.

He dug his armor out of his bags and then out fitted himself in the bright dress of war. First he pulled his hauberk over his tunic, then strapped his chased greaves to his legs and his inlaid bracers to his forearms. On his head went his padded leather cap, followed by his coif of tempered steel and then his bronze and silver helm, even though he would eventually take it off for he wasn't fond of helms. Last of all, he attached his mail-backed gloves to his hands.

His sword hung at his left hip. Across his back, he placed a quiver full of arrows. The quiver, he was pleased to find, could also hold his yew bow in place.

Then he left his room and rushed down the hallway, covered with paintings. Then he turned right and headed out the front door and down a flight of wooden stairs. After that he sped down the streets of the sleeping city until, at long last, he arrived at the northern gate that opened up as he approached.

On the other side of the portcullis stood a group of three people atop three white stallions fitted with saddlebags. Trey turned to him as he approached.

"Adam, oh don't worry take your time." He joked, his voice betraying the humor.

Adam slowed to a light trudge, just to annoy Trey.

Trey laughed lightly then said, "Not literally."

Nolan and Connor had stepped off their horses and walked up to Adam. "It's going to be a long journey. Do you have all the provisions you will need?"

Adam nodded and then asked, "Where is my horse?"

"We have another messenger coming with it, don't worry it won't be long." Said Connor, stepping toward him, then in a whisper he said, "They wanted me to tag along so as to keep an eye on me." He shrugged as Adam nodded and turned to set his supplies down.

After the messenger came and supplied Adam with a roan horse named Havnr, they strapped their belongings to their saddlebags, then headed out. The road lead them farther and farther from Xeon until it disappeared in the distance.

Soon a small forest appeared on both sides of the road, mainly pine trees. Small hills dotted the land on the opposite side of the clump of trees. The landscape wasn't interesting only small forests and hills topped with colorful crowns of flowers. Once they spotted a wolf chasing a deer, after scattering the herd in all directions. Most of the time they remained silent and tried to enjoy the view, up until Trey attempted to bring laughter and told some annoying jokes, without a reaction from the others, causing him to stop. Before long the sun had ducked behind the horizon, casting a purplish pink haze across the sky.

Nolan pulled his horse, Barok, to the side of the road, just in front of the forest. "It's time to settle down and make camp. The forest will take a day to get through, by then the advance group will be at Garner."

Adam hopped off Havnr and hitched him to a gnarled stump near a set of boulders. Then he took out several blankets and folded them into a makeshift bed. After settling down Nolan brought a pile of wood and set it down in the camps center and whispered, "Brisingr." The wood sparked and a gentle flame spurred within the pile.

Trey and Connor sat up as the fire roared with a mighty glow.

"So, how about some stories. Oh, I'll tell you my favorite; one I heard when I was a kid." Said Nolan, reaching into the fire without it hurting him. With a short spell the fire shifted into figures that seemed to have a life of their own, walking within the boundaries of the bonfire.

"That must have been a long time ago." Joked Trey, bringing laughs from Adam, Connor, and even Nolan too.

"Ha ha, funny." Said Nolan, "But anyways, a long time ago there was a man. He was a farmer that lived in the great city of Eleese. He had a nice family, a loving wife, two young sons, and his nephew. One day a common thief, or probably not so common, came to his house while he was off in the fields with his nephew. The thief robbed him of all his fortunes and his inheritance, a long staff made of the rarest of wood. It had several precious gems inlaid into the leather handle."

The fire-figures shifted to resemble a cloaked man entering a farm house. Several minutes later the figure left and shifted back into the flames.

"The robber killed the man's sons and wife then burnt his house to the ground." The fire showed a house covered in a thick layer of flame. "Then when the man saw the smoke enter the cloudless sky, despair washed over him and he and his nephew ran to their home.

"But they were too late, they watched as their house slowly disintegrated into ash." The house in the fire burnt down until a pile of ash was left, then with a wave of his hand the scene shifted. "Now, the man sought out the robber along with his nephew. They searched day and night, high and low for this man that killed the only things in the world that mattered to him: his family.

"Then he found him. It turns out that the thief was, in actuality, a magician and the staff, a legendary weapon carried by the greatest of warriors. But the man didn't know. He killed the killer while he slept and retook his inheritance. But at what cost? The man didn't return home to find everything back in its rightful place, just ruins covered in weeds and overgrown plants.

The fire shifted into a figure sneaking up to a sleeping man, then with the stealth of a spy the man plunged a dagger into the man's chest repeatedly until the man was no more than a heap of bleeding flesh.

"The man ended up killing himself, but before he did he gave the staff to his nephew, and gave him an honorable title. 'Son'. From then on the boy took care of the staff as if it were his uncle, father. The boy ran away hiding in cities until he reached Chazter, there he remained until he learned what the staff did.

"With the powerful weapon in his hands he escaped the bonds of the orphanage he dwelt in and came to Xeon in search of someone who would teach him magic."

"And that someone was Master Xenon, right?" Adam said with a knowledgeable voice.

"Right. Keep this story in mind, it will help you one day. It'll teach you things important to you and me."

Then with a solemn 'goodnight' they were off to bed…

The morning arrived too quickly, they scurried to bundle up their supplies and ready their horses. After strapping in their belongings then spurred their steeds onward. And soon entered the dense forest, where few light rays made it to the muddy ground.

Birds sang their songs, bugs and their annoying chirping echoed through the trees, and strange creatures lurked into the intruders' presence. Oftentimes, the branches were so thick overhead, it was impossible to tell from what direction the sun rose and set. That, combined with the repetitive scenery, made Adam hopelessly lost.

When it rained, the clouds and the forest canopy plunged them into profound darkness, as if they were entombed deep underground. The falling water would collect on the black pine needles above, then trickle through and pour a hundred feet or more down onto their heads, like a thousand little waterfalls. At such times, Nolan would summon a glowing orb of blue magic that floated above his right hand and provided the only light in the cavernous forest. They would stop and huddle underneath a tree until the storm abated, but even then water cached in the myriad branches would, at the slightest provocation, shower them for minutes on end.

As they rode deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest, the trees grew thicker and taller, as well as farther apart to accommodate with their increasing span of their branches. The trunks-bare brown shafts that towered up into the overarching ribbed ceiling, which was smudged and obscured by shadow-were over a hundred feet tall, higher than any tree that grew anywhere besides in the Forbidden Forest.

But after many more steps later, the forest began to grow smaller and closer together. Adam mentioned this to Nolan, who replied with, "That means we are near Garner." A faint blade of light pierced the dusty emerald branches overhead and limned his arm and face with liquid gold, dazzling bright against the murky background.

When the forest stopped and the trees were left behind, they stopped and made camp, for the sun had already set, the sky a purple and pink haze. Their camp was set between a group of large, gray boulders. They hitched their horses and settled down for the night with a warm fire glowing brilliantly in the dusk.

Nolan settled down then spoke about the times before the new empire and their ruthless king, Aodin, arrived. "There once was a time when the land of Salazier was different. Even its name was a contrasting to the way it is now. Alageasia was its name. The land was filled with many races: Humans, the most imperfect of them all, Elves, the most elegant and peaceful races with the naturally given gift of magic, Dwarves skilled masons and fierce fighters, and Urgals who were tall, muscular beings with horns protruding from their heads and are the toughest fighters in the land.

"Last of all were the Riders. Riders had the ability, no matter the race, to use magic and fought alongside their own bonded dragon. The dragons were once wild and untamed, until an elf named Eragon hatched one and soon created the order of Dragon Riders. But when one of their own turned against them, a rider named Galbatorix decided to take all the power for himself and cut down the freedom fighters known as the Varden.

"He eventually grew in power and led a group of riders called the Thirteen Forsworn. He killed all remaining dragon riders with his loyal group and took the thrown as king and ruled for years with his black dragon Shruiken. It was said that Shruiken towered to unimaginable heights and was more feared than the king himself.

"But when a new rider free of Galbatorix's control escaped the Empire and fled to the safety of the Varden, all of the king's efforts to retrieve him are extended. For his dragon was the last female of her race, the Rider's name was Eragon, his namesake originated from the first Rider. He soon grew in power and helped lead the Varden to Uru'baen where he heroically kills the dark king and unfolds a secret that will save the dragon race."

Adam seated himself closer to the fire and to Nolan so as to hear him over the crackle of the flame.

"But when he leaves for a new home of the Riders and dragons, he disappears and not one dragon was seen for thousands of years. When the Salazians invaded Alageasia they nearly killed the entire race of Dwarves, Elves, Humans, and Urgals. The Elves suffered a surprising defeat and left for the dragon island, not knowing where it was. Ever since then the Salazians have ruled Alageasia and have tried to conquer the memory of the races other than human."

Nolan stopped speaking and threw a stick into the campfire.

"So… Where are the Elves?" Asked Connor, drawing images in the dirt with his dagger before wiping them away.

"No one knows, they disappeared and not one has been seen then." Nolan replied, smoothing the wrinkles in his robe.

Adam stared intensely into the fire, acknowledging all the fine details that made up each spark of flame. The oranges and yellows spread unevenly over the logs that fueled the fire. "Why haven't I heard this story before? I've heard many a tale, but none the likes of this."

"Because King Aodin has made this subject a small source of knowledge and if one is caught reciting this they will be killed." Nolan replied, now readying his makeshift bed.

Trey nearly fell off his log he was seated upon, "Then why are you telling us this?"

Nolan chuckled, "Because we are rebels, we don't follow the king's laws. Heck, we don't even give them a first thought!"

Trey seemed to settle down a little bit and continue nibbling on his small piece of bread. After a couple bites he stuffed the rest into his mouth, and wiped the crumbs off the corner of his lips.

Nolan looked to the sky and watched the stars glisten, "Lets get some rest, we start early in the morning if we have any hopes of getting to Garner by noon. Lie down and get some sleep or I'll put ya'll to sleep with a spell."

With no one wanting to argue they all folded out their blankets and fluffed their pillows and lied down. The camp fire heated their camp and cast strange shadows onto the surrounding forest, and often sprayed a shower of sparks when a log would burn to its limit and break apart.

Adam closed his eyes and focused on the story Nolan told, about dragons and elves, who, up until this point, he thought were myth and stories to be told around a campfire, literally. He soon fell asleep amid the crackling of the fire and soothing breeze of the wind, comfortable and at peace since his probable resurrection.

But that soon ended as the calm night, with its still, hypnotizing collection of stars, was shattered by the sounds of war cries and the deep, thundering of running feet mixed with the scraping sound of metal, which Adam knew all too well as the sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath, scrapping against the metal band along the inside of the case.

Hope this chapter was exciting and offered ya'll with a calm chapter with no fighting, because the past ones have been full of war and such… In that case, review if ya'll like this chapter, the feedback will help if I need to make improvements which will greatly improve future chapters. Thnx.

-7RON


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

Defending Garner

Adam slung off his blanket and nearly tripped as his foot got caught on something, but the darkness forbade his ability to see. When he finally got his feet underneath him he noticed that the campfire was out with small pieces of charred, smoking wood, the vapor streamed off the embers and snaked through the air in silvery tendrils.

Nolan, Connor, and Trey had already woke and were in the process of taking defensive stances. Adam reached for his sword, but his palm slapped against his thigh. _What_, he thought. Then he remembered removing his sword before he went to sleep. A foolish thing to do. He trudged quickly to his now tossed and tangled bed spread and felt the damp ground for his sword.

By then he heard the loud clash of metal and shouts as each side met in the fiery dance of combat. His hand touched a smooth object and he wrapped his hands around it and felt for the handle of his sword. There.

He ripped the sword free and charged at the attackers with a fierce yell. He engaged the first enemy with several swipes of his sword, which were blocked without accuracy, but did not apply damage to his target. Suddenly a wooden pike with stone spikes lodged into the thick end of the log flew at his face, which he dodged with ease.

But before he could react a shield smashed into his body, knocking him to the ground. Then as the figure went to jump on top of him, Adam lifted his leg and kicked the man in the stomach. Without hesitation Adam rolled across the ground in order to elude a sword in poor condition, its metal was dented and scratched as if it has been used many a time.

_Why are all their supplies in bad condition?_ Adam told himself. He stood quickly as the sword buried itself in the ground and took hold of the man's arm, disarming him and knocking him down.

It wasn't an Aroughian soldier; it was a normal man, most likely a poor farmer due to his choice of clothes. "Stop!" He yelled, "Stop fighting, they're not Aroughians, they're villagers!"

The fighting men soon settled as they realized that their opponents were not reacting to them with violence.

Nolan backed away and looked at each of the men; his eyes grew remorseful as his gaze was led to a body lying on the ground.

"I apologize. We thought ya'll were Aroughians." Said Nolan, going to the body and checking to be sure that he was dead. His head hung low and he forced to hold back tears. It disheartened him most when an innocent was killed, especially by his hand.

A man from the group of villagers rushed towards the body and knelt before it, then started crying. After several seconds he stood and looked at Nolan, "What have you done? This was my son."

_Hm some rhyming going on. _Nolan thought, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"

The man screamed then, sword in hand, charged Nolan.

His teammates yelled at him to stop while Nolan's members ran forward to protect their fellow soldier. Then time seemed to slow for Adam as he watched the man jump into the air and bring his sword in a downward arc towards Nolan, who didn't even seem to budge the entire time. Adam also noticed an arrow whizzing through the air at the man.

Then at the same time the man's sword bounced off Nolan's wards and the arrow plunged deep into his unarmored chest. The force with which the sword struck the wards was tremendous and caused the man's arm to snap out of place and fling him across the area they were gathered in and smack into a boulder.

Everyone grew silent as they gazed at Nolan with fear. Quietly Adam looked around for the one who shot the arrow, and was surprised to find that Connor had his bow held up.

A man detached himself from his group and walked up to Nolan, "Are you magicians?" Was his only words.

Nolan nodded, "From Xeon, sorry for the inconvenience, we meant no harm."

"We were guarding the village when one of my lookouts report seeing a small fire near the woods. So we being noble fighters, left thinking ya'll were them pesky Aroughian soldiers. But clearly we be mistaken." Said the man, "The names Duncan." He held out a hand which Nolan shook firmly.

The rest of Duncan's men still stood with fear as they pondered whether to have friendship or a feud. But none dared compete with Nolan after his display of power. "Okay, we should get started on finding the Aroughians and not dwell on past occurrences." Said Nolan, "We cant unchanged fate."

Duncan seemed to cower a little then agreed when he felt that nothing else was going to solve their dilemma. "Okay."

Over the next few hours, Nolan and Duncan talked about attack strategies and possible locations for the Aroughians. They often walked around the boundaries of the village and sometimes sent out scouts into the surrounding forest, after which they would continue their search. The scouts mostly came back with no find.

Soon Adam watched as the large, glowing sphere rose slowly into the dull morning sky. Casting sunbeams in every direction, creating columns of golden liquid when the light pierced the heavy clouds overhead, illuminating the small town with every amount of glory anything could have. The colors of the sky became more vivid as the sun rose into the sky, making it even more radiant than before. But as beautiful as the morning was, Adam felt that the day would go wrong and that something would happen, this feeling originating from the witch's prophecy.

As the day passed they spent their time fortifying the village, adding on to the impressively built trench that circled the entire town. Then they helped make better weapons for the men and for some time fought with them in order to prepare them to fight professional soldiers. But as night speedily approached the town settled down and Adam and his companions retreated to an inn which was gracefully offered by the inn keeper. They fell asleep with no time to waste, for they knew that the next day would be tough as their search for the Aroughians would continue.

Adam woke with a start as the inn shook viciously, dust streaming off the ceiling beams above. Connor fell from his bed, rolled across the ground while grasping his sword, stood ripping his sword from its sheath, and took a defensive stance. Shouts and screams echoed throughout the city, along with the sound of clanging metal.

Adam jumped out of his bed and snatched his sword and rushed out of the room as a group of ruff-looking men ran into the lobby. Somewhere a woman screamed. _How did they get into the town? _Adam asked himself.

The men looked at Adam and pointed at him. "He will make a fine slave." Said one of them. Then he pulled his sword out and charged up the stairs towards Adam.

Without a seconds hesitation Adam slashed his sword outward striking the man against his unprotected head. With a scream the man fell limply to the ground. The others glanced at him nervously then ran out of the inn.

Connor meet him on the stairs and, together, they exited the building and onto the street. Aroughians ran everywhere, mixed between Garner's men. Explosions rang randomly around the city, light flashed as fire burst against buildings.

They rushed throughout the city striking helpless victims as their party grew. Trey joined their group, along with Nolan and several members of the advance group sent from Xeon. They roused some of the men they found around the city and slowly pushed the enemy towards the gates of the city. For several hours they fought mercilessly until the attackers finally retreated.

When they returned to the heart of the city they found a pile of seven men, dead, surrounded by people who loved them. Adam gazed at the pile until he turned and left, followed by Connor, Trey, and Nolan. They entered their room in the inn.

Adam sheathed his sword and sat down on the edge of his bed, fighting the urge to vomit.

Nolan sluggishly fell onto his bed, Trey slumped to the ground, cleaning his bloody axe on an old, gray rag, and Connor leaned against the wall next to the door.

Adam lifted his leg and then slammed it on the wooden floor, a low bang echoed through the planks. "We were sent here to protect these people!" He shouted. "And now… there are seven dead, and probably more. If we aren't going to protect, perhaps we can defend."

Nolan sat up and said, "We've already done that."

Adam stared blankly at the ground until he finally looked up and said, "Then let's go after them."

The reply wasn't a question just as much as it wasn't a command. A simple statement, Adam figured that if they weren't going to eliminate the enemy, then they might as well scare them away.

When no one replied Adam continued, "They won't be expecting resistance. We can catch them by surprise."

Nolan sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Then if we are going to do this then we can wait till tomorrow. The men here are too tired to fight."

Adam stood and protested, "No! We go tonight. While the enemy are still separated, we can easily defeat them."

Nolan stood and walked towards the door, Connor moved out of his way. "I'll go talk with Duncan."

Then he left the room, his footsteps receding down the stairs. Connor returned to his position next to the door. Trey stood and sheathed his clean axe, and said, "I've already planned another attack on the Aroughians before we came back here. The few military units here in the city are going with us. We are to meet them on the northern part of the city."

Adam smiled at Treys slyness. He always seemed to be a step ahead of him when it came to battle. "When do we leave?"

"Whenever, the group that is going with us is guarding the northern gate. But when they leave they are going to be replaced by another group so the gate will still stay guarded."

Adam thought for a minute, then said, "Okay. Let's go."

They exited the inn and out onto the streets, where they kept an eye out for Nolan. The roads were busy due to the preparations getting done as they prepared for another attack, and another night defending them. But they soon reached the North gate where they were instantly acquainted with nineteen men each welding formidable weapons, each in their mid-twenties.

"My name is Jacob. And this is Tilrv," Said a tall, hallow-eyed man who must have been Jacob's son who was a young man with blondish-brown hair identified as Tilrv. "We are to team up and go after the remaining idiots that have ravaged our village."

Adam nodded approval and asked, "How many Aroughians do you think there are left?"

Jacob seemed to look into his mind as he estimated the enemies' death toll, and the number they appeared with. "Maybe about… uhm, thirty, thirty-two."

"Okay, that's fine. If we still have the element of surprise, then we should be able to defeat them easily."

Jacob nodded and turned to his men. He spoke with all the authority of a king, issuing commands that were instantly carried out. _He must have done something worth getting full command over these people._ Thought Adam, he was concerned that Jacob had too much power, but still, at least the men did listen to him and not someone else. Jacob seemed to have, at one point, had military experience.

Then, pointing down a field towards a cube-shaped building, he said, "See that building." Adam nodded, "The man who works there is a friend, he is generous enough to provide us with rafts that we will use to sail down the river."

They now set sail as the first lights of dawn broke the horizon. During the night they resided at the raft store, where they ate and rested as they prepared for the journey.

Adam sat against the raft's cabin, watching the changing landscape as they sped down the river. Around midday they passed the mouth of a valley, and another river melded with Carevl, doubling its size and speed until the shores were a mile apart. The men from Garner had to struggle to keep the raft from being tossed like flotsam before the inexorable current and to avoid smashing into the trees that occasionally floated by.

A mile after the rivers joined, Carevl turned north and flowed past a lonely cloud-wreathed peak. Then around sun set, they stopped the rafts as a light glow up ahead. In actuality it was many fires, but due to the distance between them and the campfires it looked like one large mass.

Jacob took Tilrv and they snuck towards the fire in the distance. The men shifted nervously as they waited for their return. While they waited Adam had them tie rags over their weapons and what little armor they had to prevent detection. This assignment took about an hour, and by that time, Jacob came back with exciting news.

"There are thirty-two Aroughians, as I predicted." He said as the group stood and headed out. "Most of them are asleep, besides the sentries, but they shouldn't be a problem."

"Great lets head out immediately and eliminate this problem." Said Adam, they left their present campsite and walked towards the camp. Tilrv and Jacob fixed their armor and weapons with old, rust-colored rags and then dispersed the fire by pouring water from their water skins onto it, they had to, silently, run to catch up to the group that receded towards the enemy's camp.

Adam, even in the dark, examined his surroundings by casting a spell that allowed him to see the setting around him as if it were daytime. A grove of gnarled juniper trees grew in clumps between the two hills that they now passed through. The shallow depression gradually deepened into a narrow, flood-carved gully lined with crumbling, gray slabs of shale.

Dodging the juniper trees, Adam glanced up and noticed the first constellations that adorned the black sky. They seemed cold and sharp, like bright shards of ice. Then he concentrated on his footing as he and the group trotted east, towards the enemy's camp.

Each individual bonfire brightened and became more clearer as they neared them, each flame was full of detail, tongues of the conflagration licked the air as if trying to taste the different scents that wafted past it.

Torches bobbed up and down as the sentries went about issuing the safety of their fellow members. The guards wore little armor, mostly cow hide skins and tough materials with fur coats to protect them from some imaginary breeze, for the temperature was nowhere near cold, but in between, not the type of weather to where heavy clothes. The camp was made up of leather tents, most painted with different designs and symbols.

Adam stopped his team behind a coppice of willows. The trees creaked eerily as the soft wind made the translucent leafs of the willows whisper to the breeze, their cry of loneliness. The many cracks that ran vertically down the trunks, opened up and, in the moonlight, revealed their true identity, that they were living beings to, not just plants that grew and then died on the same patch of dirt that they were born on.

Adam peered between two separate branches that grew in a V shape, spreading apart and, in unison, bent in different directions, one pointing to the north, the other to the south. From his perspective he could clearly make out three sentries standing guard twenty yards from where he stood, each bearing large, leaf shaped swords, both gruesome and ugly in appearance as if their maker were an inexperienced, rushed apprentice. Beyond them another cadre of sentries took watch.

Adam turned back around and informed the impatient group of the sentries' whereabouts. "Okay, there is a group about twenty yards in front us. And then another farther down into the camp."

"Let's get them now, they killed my brother. I want my revenge." Whispered one man to Adams right.

"Calm down. We have to prepare and plan our attack carefully." Replied Jacob, once again proving his air of command. The previous speaker silenced and awaited orders from him.

Another man spoke up, but with a flash of his eyes Jacob also silenced him too. Now wasn't the time to argue, nor was it the place. Adam told this to him, who, with complete dominance, convinced the group to leave their initial safeguard behind the willows and head down the eastern side of the southern most of the two hills until the fires left their sight.

Adam and the leaders; Trey, Connor, Jacob, and Tilrv, went to a deserted shelf of cracked sandstone that rose above their settlement and began to talk about what they intended to do.

"Now what do you want to do?" Asked Jacob, looking out over the vast plains that spread beyond their vision, few bushes grew and trees dotted the fields, placed randomly as if a farmer scattered seeds in the fertile dirt.

Tilrv looked down to the smooth sandstone below his feet, then scrubbed his boots across the flat surface, crumbling small sand rocks into smaller particles. "We could send our most deceptive men to the main layout of their camp and have them take out their sentries placed on the border of their encampment. Then with that done we can send in the rest of our men and take them out."

"Aye, but, we need to plan for every possibility, say one of them sees us, or they end up overwhelming us. We need to be prepared for anything." Said Trey, fingering his axe's curved blade.

Adam remembered similar sieges he had been a part of long ago, and taking strategies from those battles, he put them together and came up with one full proof plan. "Ok, we need someone, or several people, to perform some type of diversion. Then while the enemy are distracted we come in full force and wipe them all out."

Jacob seemed to like the plan, for he nodded at the ground three times. "Good, but what kind of distraction are you wanting?" He asked after confirming that the envisage was a good one. "I could get a reasonable number of my militants and have them a' hoot and holler, get the Aroughians to chase them, then we come up behind them and attack."

Adam shrugged, "It's a good thought, but what if the distracters are captured… or worse? What will you do then?"

"I could choose my fastest men and have them do the job."

"Yes, however, what if the Aroughian soldiers are a tad bit faster?"

"Then we make sure we get to them before they kill our men."

"But what if we don't?"

"We will."

"But what if we don't?"

"I'll make sure we do."

"How?"

Jacob grew silent, Trey was right when he inquired that they formulate a plan that goes along with every possibility. If not they would have lost already. Now came the hard part, deciding what to do and what might happen if they do what they planned. They were outnumbered by thirteen men and if they were to win they couldn't make any mistakes.

The darkness weighed down on their eyes. Adam looked through his mind until he found the right word, which he whispered to himself. A spark flashed in the air. Then another. And another. Then with a flash of light a ball of flame popped into existence in front of Adam, lighting the area with a pool of golden light.

Jacob's eyes seemed to glow brighter than the light as he stared in amazement at the fire, Tilrv too. "You're a magician?" He asked, eyeing the fire with fearful yet shocked eyes.

Adam laughed shortly, then said, "No. I can use magic, yes, but I'm not a magician. Magicians are old men with long white beards and a pointed hat with stars imprinted on it."

This description brought laughs from the group on the sandstone shelf.

Jacob replied with, "Oh, Okay. Well with the magic you can use, then you can help us with the trouble makers down there, we could defeat them easily."

"I would be more than happy to use magic to help, but like most everything else, it has limitations and rules. To use magic one must understand that he must have the power capable to withstand its effects." Adam said in a hushed voice, "Some spells, they will leave you drowsy, others, as a lot of people find out, will lead you to be unconscious. And some spells, if you use them before your ready… can kill you."

Jacob remained quiet for some time, he never paid attention to magic, nor has he witnessed it before, but now it seemed to be more important than the most precious gem. _The things I could do with magic. _Thought Jacob, greedily.

Suddenly a warning cry echoed across the field, originating from their camp. It sounded like a man who tried to hold in an unbearable amount of fear which exploded because of the force.

Silence enveloped the sandstone shelf. Above, the stars gleamed cold and white. A wind sprang up from the north and raced across the plains, battering the grass and wailing with a long, thin voice, as if lamenting the loss of a loved one. As it struck, the ball of fire burst and a twisting mane of sparks trailed off to the south. Adam hunched his shoulders and pulled the collar of his tunic close around his neck. There was something unfriendly about the wind; it bit at him with unusual ferocity, and it seemed to isolate him and everyone else from the rest of the world. They stood motionless, marooned on the tiny island of light and heat, while the massive river of air rushed past, howling its angry sorrows into the empty expanse of land.

**Hope ya'll like this chapter. It's kind of long, but now I have the authority to say that He Who Travels' challenge has been completed when he requested a 3,000 word chapter. To be exact, this one is 3,787 words long. Please review, it helps a lot, and most of all, enjoy.**

**-7RON **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Disappearance

When the gust became more violent and began to carry the sparks farther away, Adam ended the spell to the ball of fire, causing it to flash in a shower of sparks. With the fire extinguished, he had difficulty seeing; the countryside had become a ghost of itself, full of writhing shadows, indistinct shapes, and silvery leaves.

Adam made as if to sit, then stopped in a half crouch, arms outstretched for balance, his expression alert. Trey felt it as well: the air prickled and hummed, as if a bolt of lightning were about to strike. The hair on the back of his neck stood and waved freely in the wind.

"What is it?" Trey asked.

"We are being watched, but by what I don't know. Whatever happens, don't use magic or you may get us killed." Said Adam.

Jacob seemed shocked by that statement, he asked, "He knows how to use magic too?"

"Somewhat." Replied Trey.

"Shh." Quieted Adam, looking around the perimeter.

In the distance, a cluster of multicolored lights appeared. They darted toward the camp, flying low to the ground. As they drew near Adam saw that the lights were constantly changing in size- ranging from an orb no larger than a pearl to one several feet in diameter-and that their colors also varied, cycling through the many colors of the rainbow. A crackling nimbus surrounded each orb, a halo of liquid tendrils that whipped and lashed. The lights moved so fast, he could not determine exactly how many there were, but he guessed it was about two dozen.

The lights hurtled onto the sandstone slab and formed a swirling wall of color around them. The speed in which they spun, combined with the barrage of pulsing colors, made Adam dizzy. He put his hand on the sandstone shelf to steady himself. The humming was so loud that his teeth began to vibrate against one another. He tasted metal, and his hair stood on end.

A single orb dethatched itself from the wall and hung in front of Adam at eye level. It expanded and shrank like a throbbing heart, alternating between gold to red with flashes of blinding white. Adam extended his hand to the orb, cautious if it should attack. To his surprise he encountered resistance, the orb was incorporeal, but it pushed against his hand like a swift stream of water might. With effort, he reached across the last few inches and came into contact with the center of the creatures being.

Bluish rays shot out from between Adam's palm and the surface of the orb, a dazzling, fanlike display that overwhelmed the light from the other orbs and bleached everything a pale blue white. Adam shouted in pain as the light stabbed into his eyes, and he ducked his head, squinting. Then something inside the orb and a presence entered his mind, brushing aside his mental defenses as if they were a pile of autumn leaves. Suddenly with a flash of pure energy the creature withdrew from his mind. The contact between them broke like a twisted cable under pressure. The panoply of rays outlining Adam's hand faded into oblivion, leaving behind lurid pink after images streaked across his field of vision.

The orb shrank to the size of an apple and then rejoined its companions in the swirling vortex of light that circled them. The humming grew to an unbearable pitch, and then the vortex exploded outward as the blazing orbs scattered in all directions. The wind subsided to a gentle breeze as the lights faded and the shelf of sandstone returned to normal. But what wasn't normal was that one less person wasn't there… Adam.

…

Austin walked out of his apartment for the first time within a week. The healers had said that his legs and arms were healed enough to be of use now. The dried, scabby, and red swollen skin had decreased in strength and gradually shifted into a smooth peachy surface, but his arms and legs were still covered in bandages to protect the sensitive carapace. The sun's glare hurt his eyes as he stepped onto the porch of his apartment. The sky was new and crispy blue with specks of white clouds here and there. The wind seemed to have a tinge of happiness, in which Austin felt like the wind too for Nolan, Adam, Trey, and Connor, who Austin had not met with yet, would be returning soon.

With the morning breeze, Austin appeared to glide down the wooden planks that were stairs, and across the street hidden between the bulky buildings. Each street had strands of rope that hung limply from one building to the other on the opposite side, with wet clothes hanging from them. People went about their business, selling, trading, or buying in the markets that dotted the city. To Austin's surprise, Aphelion was out ranting about her prophecies drawing crowds of enormous sizes. But what was odd was that she was out again, usually she would only come out of her, somewhat, strange house on the southern side of the city, once a month. And its only been a week since she was last out.

Austin crept closer to the witch to hear what she was speaking on. Her raspy voice bellowed over the shouting crowd, surprisingly loud compared to the group of people surrounding her. "This city, Xeon, will soon fall within the next decade! Many heroes will be lost, even our greatest warriors! But low and behold, a Champion will rise out of the ashes of the many, leading an exalted army from the lands beyond! And with it they shall conquer the evil laboring of the empire's king, Aodin, and his pet sorcerer, Morbid, and the accursed lizard he welds!" She shouted, waving her fist in the air as if she were punching imaginary foes.

The company of men and women shouted in approval as she finished her prophecy, but what Austin didn't understand was how the city of Xeon would fall. But if a war was underway, then they had to prepare quickly if they had hope of saving their city.

Just when it seemed that Aphelion was about to leave, the crowd grew larger and she continued speaking; "But when all is said and done, the help of the mysterious force will turn against us and take those in the war effort to a world unknown, the same but different!" Then in a quieter tone she said, "And all will be lost in an endless dark void, awaiting a death that quickly approaches."

The semi-circle of townsmen grew deathly quiet, sensing that this news was one not to celebrate, but to fear, a toll on those who helped fight for the freedom of their land. Austin stopped his slow trot and remained there, staring into the emptiness within the crown that besieged the witch. Then with a voice no louder than the slightest whisper, Aphelion said, "A scar across the sky." Then with a snap of her head, she looked up and strode away from the spectators and disappeared amidst the depths of the market area.

The crowd expeditiously dispersed mixing among one another. Austin took one last glance at the spot Aphelion had stood minutes before, and then turned and left, heading towards the northern gate, where Nolan was said to return to.

Within the span of thirty minutes, Austin had traveled half the length of Xeon and neared the north gate where Christopher and a small group of soldiers stood, the portcullis razed up into the wall, awaiting the return of the heroes, who fought for the safety of the citizens of Garner. Austin took this as a moment to survey his surroundings. A single, narrow dirt road spiraled over the distant hills that rolled on the horizon. Many plants grew there, those which ranged from massive magnolias to the smaller ornamental trees. Azaleas and camellias are the synonyms of the South, but are by no means the only shrubs that grew there. Burning Bushes, Hydrangeas, Mountain Laurels, and Beauty Bushes were several of many shrubs that grew in the vast expanse of rolling hills. As for the trees; Chaste Trees, Dogwoods, Fringe Trees, and Saw Tooth Oaks, the towering trees resided farther down the road.

Even as Austin examined the land he could see a group of horsemen, trailed by a cloud of orange dust filling the air behind them, running down the road. The men seemed to hurry in the sight of the city, forcing the horses to their limits, the dirt billowing at the heels of the steeds. As the miles closed up between them Austin could make out the Xeon insignia that was stitched in the side of each saddle. As the travelers got closer Austin could clearly see nine men and ten horses.

_Nine men and ten horses,_ He thought, _where is the tenth person?_ His thoughts stopped abruptly as the horsemen pulled in on their reigns, causing neighs of restraint from the horses.

"Austin, glad to see that your arms have healed." Said Nolan, throwing his reigns to a soldier and then hopping off of Barok and walked up to Austin and placing his hands on his shoulders.

Connor and Trey joined Nolan at Austin's side. The remaining six men left and followed the soldiers who had accompanied Christopher to the gate. Nolan had several cuts along his arms and a large gash on his exposed chest, now covered by bloody rags. His eyes seemed dark and hallow, due to weariness.

Trey's axe was coated in gore and dirt, along with his arms. Blood splattered his face and his hair was slick with blood and grim. His armor was dented in several places, and a bloody, gaping hole resided in his breastplate.

Connor was most the same, his chiseled features were more hardened than the day Austin chased him into the burning building. Blood, dirt, and ash coated his arms, face and hair in heavy layers. But the most discriminating feature was the laceration on his left calf, which forced him to limp when he walked; blood seeped from it even though a rag was firmly tied around it. Austin was sure that the wound would leave a scar, and he was more sure that it would get infected if not quickly treated.

"Where is Adam? He was with you when you left, right?" Austin asked, after looking around their group for any sign of Adam. Suddenly the witch's prophesy for Adam became clear:

_A battle soon approaches, where you will be no more,_

_One that will guide you on an unfortunate path._

Nolan looked to the ground as if he didn't fully understand the concept. He speedily left the area, escorted by Christopher. Trey stepped up, replacing Nolan, and said, "He… uh, disappeared w-while we were preparing an attack on the Aroughians. A flash of light and he was gone."

Austin looked to Connor, who nodded his encouragement to Treys words. "Tell me what happened." Austin instructed.

Trey nodded, "Thought you might say that. We'll dine at Shirley's Tavern and… I'll tell you what happened."

So together they trudged off towards the city, Trey and Connor handing their reigns to a groom as they passed the gates, which were lowered as they progressed. The city seemed asleep for some strange reason; usually people are flooding the streets at this period of day. But they continued until a low box-shaped building came into view. A triangular roof topped the wooden walls inlaid with foggy, smeared windows with criss-crossing wires that embedded the glass. A single chimney stuck out of the tiled roof, misshaped and irregular, but still standing and billowing black smoke that smudged the pristine sky with a cloud of imperfection.

They walked up a set of stairs and passed under a door frame with a sign hanging helplessly over the porch displaying an epitome of a keg with white foam overflowing the barrel. Trey opened the door, and kindly let Austin and Connor enter before him.

The inside of the tavern, unlike the city streets, bustled with activity, from waitresses zigzagging their way in between grown men who drank enormous quantities of mead, to the musicians playing reeds and bagpipes off to the corner of the room. This private-get-away smelled strongly of sweat and old mold, _for some reason, _thought Austin, _all these smells smell like the color brown._ The unusual thought made him let out a muffled laugh, which was lost in the thundering bawl of sound that protruded from the men.

Connor's face instantly went from delight to disgust as he saw the poorly kept area. "Are you sure you want to eat here?" He snorted as a wave of smoke flushed into his nostrils.

Trey shook his head, "No." Was his only reply. Trey shrugged, the tavern wasn't normally like this, conventionally only three people ever occupied the bar a day, not this crowd of men. But it was understandable for after a battle soldiers would gather in bars and drink away the ghosts of their now dead enemies for weeks on end.

"Perhaps one would like to eat in a more quiet and… more," Austin wrinkled his nose, "Safe place, don't you think?"

Trey nodded, "I do think, and think goodness I do or else we will be eating here, sooo… on that account, let's go."

They quickly turned and left, leaving behind no evidence that they ever existed…

It was another hour before they found a reasonable place to eat, by then the sun had set and any drunk men left to find somewhere else to drink or to sleep in the barns, as was accustomed for they feared returning to their wives, light headed and unable to stand. But the food was good and not bitter. And once they had their fill Trey sat back and, picking the food stuck between his teeth with the point of a knife, he retold the events that transpired the last week. He told of their travel down the long, endless road, and Nolan's story, to their journey through the relentless forest. Soon he reached the part where they finally arrived at Garner and the attack that occurred that night, whereupon Austin asked, "Is that how you all got badly injured?"

Trey seemed to have forgot about his injuries, he looked down at his blood splattered armor and the hole in his breastplate. "Oh, no. we got these later on, just Shh." And then he continued to where Adam suggested leaving Garner and strike on the enemy, and then how Adam vanished in a flash of light and the orbs that surrounded them. Then to their final battle with the Aroughians and how they easily defeated them without trouble. When his story was over Austin remained, silently nodding.

"Well, we may never know what happened to Adam. If he died, then all we can do is move on for grieving will not make him come back." Said Austin, soon he broke into tears for their lost Comrade, who was like a brother to them, and a leader to all who gazed upon him. Suddenly memories flashed into his mind, the first time they met, the first battle they fought together, to, not too long ago, just before Adam was captured, when he saved Austin from an enemy magician who nearly killed him. The music played by youths in the tavern, lights lit by candles, and the faces of his friends faded as darkness enveloped him in its weary grip.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15**

A world unknown

Adam opened his eyes only to behold darkness, he didn't know if his eyes were still closed or if they couldn't open at all. He struggled to open his eyes, but to no avail. Fear gripped at his heart as a horrible revelation dawned upon him, _what if I can't open my eyes again._ He blindly looked up to where he believed the sky was, however, he could see white, icy dots, millions…no billions and billions of flashing dots. So why hadn't he been able to see anything else. He instinctively reached towards his face and brushed the tips of his fingers against his eye lashes, which were lifted in an upward position. His eyes were open after all.

_It must be night, _he thought, _but where am I?_ He slowly rolled over and pushed with his arms until he was crouched on the ground, then with a strong heave he lifted off the earth and stood, his joints popping as he stood and stretched. As his irises adjusted to the darkness he could distinctly make out mounds of profound shadows that surrounded him, most reaching into the heavens until they disappeared with distance. Adam inched forward often bumping into the imperfections that covered the soil beneath his armored feet.

His mail armor and plates of metal that covered his body was still intact and continuously clinked and clanked with every step he took. "Okay, I can't take much more of this constant darkness." He told himself, "Vremlox elvrpo."

A spark flashed in front of him and a ball of fire expanded from the vestige, pulsing with brightening streaks of golden flame. The blaze illuminated the area with flickering light, causing the shadows to dance across the, what were once shadows, mounds of rubble, large metal chunks, and other rubbish. The metal was dull and rusted and was welded into designs unfamiliar to him. They formed intricate shapes with wire-like patterns that coated them with swirling bands, visible by close inspection. The metal itself was grainy, despite the dirt and rust that formed an unattractive layer of skin on the steel.

Some shapes were easily depicted, while others were a combination of shapes, like a group of cubes, spheres, triangles, and cylinders. Some even looked like some sort of vehicle, with a glass shield that protected what looked like a cockpit. A seat, which was once leather, occupied the cockpit, its wired frame covered in small amounts of decomposing material.

_Where am I_? He asked himself touching the still smooth glass of the cockpit. Weird as it was, he thought it seemed oddly familiar, like all this came from a dream he had long ago, in his youthful years. He continued walking through the labyrinth of mountains of rubble and steel, often stopping to admire the metallic structures that made up most of the 'graveyard'. As he progressed he heard a rumble like thunder in the distance, it was so feint he could have imagined it. Gradually the rumbling became more distinct; Adam looked to the sky for any hint of storm clouds. The sky was still black with no indications of storm clouds.

The rumbling grew louder and louder, very quickly he saw small flashes of light streak across the sky, not lightning for the flashes were blotches of light and not zigzagged lines of heat. Suddenly a loud, painful roar echoed across the maze he stood in as a bright light illuminated the area with a fiery blaze. Within a few seconds a large shape plummeted out of the clouds hanging in the sky, trailing behind it a long line of fire. As it neared the ground it reared upward and flew horizontal, parallel with the ground, towards Adam.

He stood frozen in fear as the shape streaked the mounds of rubble with a fiery light that cast ghastly shadows that danced until the light passed by. As the shape approached him he threw himself against a wall of metal and stuck his head between his legs and held his body in time for the shape which bolted overhead, the flames searing Adam's bare skin, and disappeared behind a dune of debris. When the metallic build rushed past it extinguished the ball of fire that floated above Adam's head. Soon afterward a loud crash emitted from the impact zone, nothing more than a red glow in the distance, and the ground shook with a powerful quake, threatening to tear apart.

Adam's heart pounded at an alarming rate, pumping blood with incredible speed. As adrenaline filled his limbs he stood and ran towards the crashed vessel. After hopping over a large brick and sliding past several beams he reached a large crater, the cup-shaped depression was streaked with blast marks and small pockets of flame which burned with ardent intensity.

The ship was in the shape of a V with four equally spaced wings that, if looked at from the front, formed an X, though one seemed to have been ripped off during the crash, for there was smoke billowing from the spot the wing would have been. The ships center, and central cockpit, was evenly placed between the origin points of each wing, with a pointed cone on the nose of the ship. The cockpit had two strips of metal that divided it in three sections, spaced enough for three occupants. The ship was a beautiful structure, not counting the fact that half of it was wedged in the firm dirt, and the other half dented and scratched with large tears in the alloy.

Adam reached the ship while avoiding the springing fires, and peered inside a glass pane that covered the back of the ship. It was milky and cold, but otherwise clear, inside was a control panel with various, flickering lights, several wires that glowed with a blue haze, and…

A body…

The body wore some sort of metal armor, with circular lights that dotted areas like the chest, shoulders, and legs. The armor was made of an incredibly strong material bolstered by a force field. The man shifted slightly, moving across the floor of the ship, knocking over a loose beam, which rolled across the cockpit and smashed into a vertical computer screen. Adam nervously searched for an aperture in the glass windshield that served as a barrier for the cockpit.

Seeing none he reached down, keeping his eyes on the armored body, and brushed the ground with his hands for any object that he could use to break the glass. After grasping a rough, jagged item he reared back and smashed the glass with the exhaust pipe he grabbed. The window shattered into thousands of pieces that flew through the air, piercing Adam's uncovered skin. With the sharp, ear-piercing ringing echoing throughout the battered ship he squeezed into the tight hole that was, just seconds ago, a window.

Reaching as far as he could he clutched a chink in the armored articulation of the man's foot and , pulling as hard as he could, extracted the man from his initial position. Suddenly something popped in his shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. He dropped the man's foot with a hallow bang and grasped his shoulder.

"Les Vestai." He grunted, and immediately felt his energy drain from his body as the spell took effect, repairing whatever ligaments had popped. His skin crawled and his tendons moved back into place within several seconds.

He experimented different positions with his shoulder to verify that it had healed correctly. As he stretched he heard something move inside the cockpit. His head instinctively whipped towards the noise to see the armored man crawling out of the window, excess glass falling to the ground as the man disturbed their restful spot on the window frame.

The man's helmet had small eye slits that glowed bright blue. The mask was flawlessly made with smooth bends, folds and creases that formed the helms features. "Help…me." The man asked, and as he did a small band on the area his mouth should be, lit up the same blue as his eyes.

Adam shot forward and pulled the man the rest of the way and gently lowered him to the ground.

The man looked up to Adam and tilted his head. "Did they come yet?" The man's voice was full of worry and fear that it seemed to clog all meaning of life from the man. Adam arched an eyebrow and asked, "Who? What do you mean?" The man shook his head and stood, and just as fast, fell as his weak legs buckled. Adam reached out and caught him before he hit the ground.

"I'm Gavin. Thanks for saving me." The man reached up and with his hand, grasped two opposite sided indentions in his mask and pulled it free from its grip, revealing his face. He had a light colored completion with an angular nose and skinny eyebrows. Chiseled shadows accompanied scars on his face. Adam replied with his name.

Gavin stared around at his surroundings then up to the sky "Oh no! Here they come!"

Adam reared backward and stared towards the spot the man's shacking figure pointed out. A dark shape broke through the profound clouds in the sky and caused the clouds underside to illuminate with an orange glow, giving the vapors an evil look. The shape covered the distance between them in seconds and, at the last minute, swirled overhead and hovered over the crash site, large cylinder-shaped pieces revolving and twisting in order to stay in the air. The ship emitted a low hum as the pieces clinked and clanked together, it was easily fifty yards long and twenty to thirty feet tall.

The man grabbed Adam's arm and pulled him down next to him. "They will kill us without a moment's hesitation."

Adam looked to the ship which was now landing amid the destroyed crash site. "Then we should be the same."

The man laughed a short painful laugh as memories flooded into his mind. "They are way more advance than you give them credit for."

Adam didn't know what to say, and when he remained quiet Gavin shrugged and crept towards a pile of rubble, concealing himself from the view of the attackers. The ship had landed and a service door opened up, letting another armored man exit. He too welded a rectangular object that Adam couldn't make out. The man looked over the crash site, his mask's glowing eyes inspecting every little detail.

Gavin looked back to Adam and whispered, "Be careful. They are extremely strong and unimaginably wise; they can predict your every move."

_Not every move. _Adam thought, already formulating a plan.

The man stepped off the onramp that was connected to the service entryway. The burning dirt crackled under his foot. Suddenly another man joined the other on the ground. Together they walked the perimeter of the site looking through and behind piles of rubble. When they were just inches from Gavin, he jumped up and shot several bright glowing beams that, when landing on their target, exploded with a sizzling sound. The first armored man fell, half his body dissolving into smoke. The other jumped and rolled back up, taking aim at Gavin, who ducked back down and reloaded his weapon while the other man shot the rubble guarding him.

Adam felt the need to help, but didn't know what he could do while he was defenseless. The other man ducked behind the wing of the crashed ship and reloaded, Gavin jumped up and opened fire, blasting large, smoking holes in the wing. The field echoed with ringing shots and flashed with a constant haze as the beams exploded.

As the two men battled, Adam could see three more running down the onramp on the opposite side of the crater. "Um…Onolv." Suddenly a massive amount of energy drained from Adam's body as the spell instantly killed one of the three men approaching him. With a solid thump the man fell to the ground. The other two looked at their fallen comrade, no doubt with surprised expressions. Then they held up their weapons and looked all around the area.

_Uhg… that took a lot of energy from me, I have to stick with smaller spells._ Adam thought as a headache pounded on his skull with unrelenting force that began to drive him insane. "Vremlox limnai boshg levnuc beaux." He said, sounding out each word carefully. A small pocket of flame next to him brightened and lifted up, liquid fire dripping onto the ground, causing new conflagrations to spring into existence which also lifted into the air.

Then with a flash of light and speed the balls of fire shot across the crater, followed by trails of white smoke, and exploded with tremendous force at the feet of the two men, heating their armor intensely. The men were flung backward, burning as the fire spread onto their bodies. Gavin ran up to him, seeming not to have noticed the other two men burning in charring embers.

"They are retreating." He said as the depression blasted with a force of air, the ship lifted off the earth, the large engines revolving and the service door lowering back into place.

"Not for long!" Adam ran towards the ship and shouted, "Mattai beaux levnuc xif!" He held his palm towards the ship that began to fly away, but not fast enough for Adam's hand emitted a resplendence golden light that pulsed into a ball of pure energy that caused the wind to whirl and howl as it increased in speed. Just as the ship's engines ejected pressurized gas and started to move, the glowing ball in Adam's palm shot over the crater and blasted a hole large enough to fit three elephants into the ship's side, huge chunks of metal propelled by the explosion, streaked across the area, a ear piercing screech entered the atmosphere as the ship vibrated with smaller explosions. Debris rained down upon them as the ship spun in circles, descending rapidly and, with a final explosion, shattered into millions of pieces as detritus plummeted towards the ground, smoke and fire littering the earth.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16**

Teachings of the future

Adam awoke with a small pounding in the back of his head, as if someone took a club to it. His vision flickered with a bleary film then disappeared as he sat up. A white, unflickering light of constant intensity emitted from the corner of the rectangular room he and Gavin occupied. The ghastly form of Gavin walked up to him and gave him a glass cup of water.

"Here, drink you'll need it." Gavin sat down on a stool next to the bed Adam sat in. The room was small and had three small windows set in the wall with a metal door. A petite table was centered in the middle of the floor, littered with some sort of weapons and other mechanical equipment.

"Where, uh… where am I?" Adam asked, setting the half empty glass down on the grainy floor which was quickly retrieved by Gavin, who stood and stacked it among other glasses. Then he returned and seated himself at the edge of the bed.

He folded his hands together and spoke, "You mean what building you're in or what city, country?"

"Um, all of the above." Said Adam, sitting up and pulling the blanket off his body.

He laughed then said, "Well, as for the building, you're at my place. The city, Orasiuex." Adam digested the information, storing it in the metaphorical safes within the confound spaces of his mind, it might prove useful later on. Then Gavin spoke back up again. "Or what's left of it."

Adam hesitated to respond. Then with cambered eyebrows he asked, in a hushed tone, "What do you mean 'or what's left of it'?"

Gavin sighed a long sorrowful sigh that Adam began to feel pity for the man. A long silence followed soon afterward whereupon Gavin stood and, facing a wall with a picture of a grand city, shimmering with all the brilliance a cluster of buildings could have, and stared at the photo with a longing expression. Adam noticed that the buildings were taller than the mountains that surrounded them, and they seemed to be made out of gold, for they shined with a golden glare not made by the sun.

"Well, it's kind of a long story."

Adam looked around the room then replied, "Looks like we have the time."

Gavin laughed then turned to look at Adam. "Then get comfortable." Adam stretched then nodded. "Okay. About twelve years ago the city of Orasiuex was grand, maybe the grandest city in the world and extremely advanced whether technological, economical, or cultural. The best city to have lived in at the time. The world was at peace, no war, famine, or disasters. And then they discovered it."

Adam shrugged then asked, "Discovered what?"

Gavin's eyes betrayed fear and sadness. "The people that worked at Ryloth Industries, they were working on some sort of radio transmitting system, but… I'm getting ahead of myself. First during the times of peace they created a powerful telescope that they used to explore distant planets from where they resided at Ryloth Industries. They ended up finding an extra solar planet, called Beta Centron, with conditions similar to our own. And… it surprisingly had another life form _way_ more advanced than we are now or before and probably ever will be.

"But after this amazing discovery, Ryloth immediately began creating a radio transmitter called IGRT-1 which stands for 'Inter-Galactic Radio Transmitter'. So the scientists transmitted a powerful signal from the communications array at Ryloth Industries. And when they sent the signal through the Ryloth Transmitting Station and into IGRT-1 through which emitted in a large blast towards Beta Centron, well everything went downhill from then on."

Gavin remained silent for several minutes, looking towards the floor as if he feared something would jump out and grab him. And when he finally spoke up his voice was chocked and hollow. "We received a transmission from the aliens and it was in their native tongue, so we didn't understand them, and apparently they were upset with our discovering them." Then he switched back to his normal tone, "And so they conspicuously studied our planet and liked what they saw…so they came here."

Gavin shuddered as he remembered the time the foreigners arrived at Orasiuex. "They were supposedly in need of our resources, water, iron, and plants. The plants especially got their attention for their planet grew no such thing as on ours. Their gigantic starships crashed to earth, and to this day we believe that the atmosphere malfunctioned their ships on entry, but they landed in the sea and they directly started colonizing our race along the coast of the ocean. And once we realized that they were a threat, we started fighting back.

"We eventually defeated them, but they sent in reinforcements, almost their whole race, and wiped out all our cities in the world, settled in their large floating palaces, and ever since then they have been harvesting our resources. And we've been at war with them for years, fighting with all our might, using our technology and whatever survivors around the world to fight them off."

Adam thought for a while, and then said, "Is that why you crashed to the ground and why those… aliens came after you?"

Gavin nodded. "Now while you were unconscious I got a call from my lead commander. He wants me to report down to our secret bunker to help rally our forces." He paused for half a minute then continued. "I told him how you took down an alien warship and three aliens themselves. He wants you to join me, are you up to it?"

Adam thought long and hard about the decision. But did he even have a choice, he was stuck somewhere away from home, trapped in the middle of an alien and human war, and with no reasonable way home. "I'll go."

"Good. Oh and how did you do it?"

Adam arched an eyebrow, "Do what?"

"The thing with the warship and the aliens." Gavin asked, twirling his fingers in the air above his head.

Adam nearly smiled, but contained his expression. "Some might say… Magic."

Gavin nearly tipped over from laughter, his booming voice echoing off the confined walls of the room. "Magic!"

Adam rolled his eyes. People normally laughed about his statement so instead of trying to convince him he held out his hand and said, "Resdet." The water in his glass stacked on the counter along the wall in front of him swirled and bubbled, boiling with steam less vapor. Then rose out of the glass in swirling tendrils, up to Adam's palm where it spun into a ball of liquid. The water was illuminated by the lights in the room, giving it a mysterious feel as the floating orb swirled above Adam's palm.

Gavin's expression was nearly priceless. His initial smile was now replaced by unbelievable shock. In all his life he had never seen anything quite like this. Sure monstrous aliens, advance technology, and floating cities was strange, but something as small as a ball of levitating water was even stranger than those Gavin had seen before. So he was not ready for the sight he beheld.

Gavin fell to his knees in complete and utter stupor, paralyzed in fear at what Adam could do. "So…so it's true…y-you can use magic."

Adam nodded slightly as he ended the flow of magic, the orb of water shattered as if it were made of glass, the insignificant droplets splattering the bed and the floor below with dark shaded dots. Then Gavin squared his shoulders and stood straight, his primary shock disappeared and now a straight forward expression occupied his face. "Well, we should get going. The commander will be very pleased to have a magician with us."

Adam accompanied Gavin to the desk set in the room's center and strapped several of the weapons to a brown belt around his waist. Then with a quick demonstration on the basics of the machines he gave Adam a belt and had him strap the guns, as Gavin had called them, to the belt. Then they with brief nods confirming that they were ready, they exited the room and into the world that lay beyond.

**Hope ya'll enjoyed these last few chapters. Futuristic armies oohh…**

**-7RON**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Meeting with the king

Nolan sluggishly rolled out of bed as the first pale rays of light pierced his windows, covered by thin, silk curtains, and stained his room with its glittering streaks. The days before had been tiresome to Nolan as he and a few other magicians tried to comprehend what had befallen Adam during their battle at Garner. With more questions than they had answers, Nolan had crept off in search of peace and quiet, and after retiring to his room in the master's villa, he soon drowned in sleep's all-consuming darkness.

As he changed his attire and slid into a new pair of clothes and adorned a dark blue robe, a slight thud echoed into his room. Then another.

And another.

Suddenly he realized that someone was knocking.

"Master Nolan, King Xeno has requested your attendance in his chambers." It was clearly the voice of the young messenger that normally delivered messages between him and the king.

"Be right there." Nolan said, tying the straps to his robe and lastly equipped his sword and sheath to his belt, the swords scabbard, nearly florescent blue, appeared to glow in the dim light of the bedchamber. With a quick glance into his desk's mirror he approached the door and opened it revealing a small boy, no older than thirteen, waiting to accompany him to the king's chambers.

Once outside Nolan was shocked by the sudden decrease in temperature. His breath appeared before him when he exhaled, the soft, white mist traveled past his face and vanished in the blue of the sky. The cloudless atmosphere looked to be made of the smoothest material and of the flawless of color.

The master's villa was just across the courtyard from the castle where King Xeno resided. They quickly crossed the tiled mosaic that was the courtyard and up the large, gray marble stairs up to the oak doors where three soldiers stood guard, their pikes crossed out in front of it. They stepped aside as Nolan approached, and with muffled acknowledgments they entered and sped down a long corridor.

The entryway of the palace was so richly decorated with paintings on the walls and ceilings-as well as gilt moldings, carved furniture, and a patterned floor-that Nolan found hard to comprehend at once. The wealth required to build and maintain such an edifice was more than he could begin to understand. Through an open doorway, he saw three serving women running along with silver platters as they carried food to various parts of the castle.

Nolan weaved throughout the enormous building in according to the boy's instructions. Scores of finely-dressed men and women crossed his path only to nod to him and say, "Master Nolan." Partway to their destination, he came upon an atrium with a statue of Xenon, holding his staff parallel to his body, and his left hand extended outward towards Nolan with a constant ball of red fire that floated above the statue's palm, providing light to the corridor around him. The magic-induced flame never seemed to waver or at the slightest provocation to go out.

As he trooped past the statue he noticed that the staff was made of wood, whereas, the statue was made of a hard stone found only in the Liangstronian Mountains. The wood was most likely protected by magic spells that wouldn't allow harm to come to the timber. _Quite strange for the statue to be made of stone and the staff out of wood, _thought Nolan, _but weather this was Xenon's choosing or someone else's I have no place to question it._

Nolan left the carving behind him and continued down the corridor until he reached a set of stairs that were wide at the base and gradually became smaller as they progressed upward towards a tall, redwood door guarded by pike men. The door had startling gold metal that was shaped into the door's handles and each had a golden ring wherein a glass window was placed.

The guards placed themselves between Nolan and the door as he ascended the stairs. Then one of them hit the floor with the butt of his pike which resounded with a hollow thud.

From beyond the doors sounded a low, powerful voice, muffled by the thick oak. "Yes?"

The soldier who had hit the floor replied, "Master Nolan is here."

The instant the soldier finished the voice said, "Allow him safe passage."

The soldiers stepped aside and the doors, as if by magic, opened up on unseen hinges and slid evenly to a stop, revealing the magnificent throne room therein.

As Nolan walked into the throne room he could feel the power that emanated from the throne itself. The glorified seat was a high-backed chair made of a deep, dark oak finish with a red velvet cushion, with the king's robe draped over the throne. The throne sat atop a three stepped platform which added to the prestige of power that he felt. The rest of the room looked to be like the rest of the palace. Instead of walls, tall, thick windows, starting from the floor to the ceiling, formed the barrier to the outside world. Many red tapestries with golden tassels as well as a crackling fire to warm the throne room on the cold, dismal winter morning.

The well polished marbled floors reflected the shapes of the furniture, rugs, and the silhouettes of four men, one of them baring a gold crown, King Xeno, the other wearing full armor, Christopher, the other with a battle axe strapped to his side, Trey, and the last with a lime, green sword and sheath, and Austin. The furniture was carved out of the most expensive wood and the carpets and rugs, out of the adored ornate ivory. _One should feel privileged to behold such a sight, _thought Nolan.

King Xeno turned to Nolan as he entered, the doors closing behind him, and said, "Ah Nolan. Thanks for meeting with us. We have a lot to talk about."

As you all know, we are at war with Aroughs." Said King Xeno looking out the enormous windows that made the outer wall of the throne room, overlooking the back side of Xeon and the plains beyond, his golden crown reflecting the sun's newborn rays.

Christopher and Trey stood where they had been when Nolan entered the chamber. Austin had moved to Nolan's side when he moved closer to Xeno. "Yes and what do you propose we do about it?" Asked Christopher. During the time they spent discussing Adam's disappearance, Christopher had often brought up conversations about their dispute with the capital city, but he rather wait to talk with Xeno about the matter.

"I suggest we make friends before we make any more enemies." The wisdom in his words was unparallel, but also obvious. He then snapped his fingers, triggering a soldier who stood hidden in the shadows of the leftmost corner of the throne room. He carried a map which he spread out on a table near where Xeno stood. The map was of Salazier, showing all cities that Xeon remained in peace with and those it didn't.

Austin jumped forward and began studying the map, his eyes probing every inch of the large parchment. "We're here." He said, emitting a small chuckle as he pointed at a small dot that had the name Xeon next to it.

Christopher swatted his hand away and said, "Well obviously." Then he looked over the map and continued, "We need to figure out the most possible adversaries. Aroughs, of course. But what about Jetler or Niane, or even the cities to the south. Any could be loyal to the capital."

"Aye, but Crypto, Buxton, and Grevisous are the only cities to the south that are loyal to us, and they would inform us if any armies are marching here." Said Nolan.

"So you want to make alliances with Alous too?"

"No they are neutral. As are Meria, Tibet, Fester, and Eleese." Said Nolan, grabbing a quill and ink and crossing out the cities as he named them. "So they'll be of no use to us."

"So then there are Gaile, Bruenox, Ion, Astroph, Tili, and Anola." Replied Christopher, snatching the quill from Nolan and circling the suggested cities.

Nolan huffed, "Huh, excuse me."

Christopher allowed a half-smile to part his lips. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked sarcastically.

Nolan's stare was blank as he said, "No, not at all. Continue."

Christopher finished circling the cities, then set the quill in the ink bottle and replied, "Now I believe one of my captains has a selection of papers listing the number of men each city has, along with magicians, dragons, and machines of war."

"Whoa, whoa. Dragons, I thought that the dragons went into hiding?" Asked Austin.

"They did, but most of the magicians under the command of Aodin have hunted them down and influenced them with dark magic." Spoke up Xeno, stepping up to the table after standing at the seat of his throne staring out the window the whole conversation.

"And how do you know this. I mean, I know that the dragons went into hiding after so many years of being controlled by magicians, but how do you know of this? It's not a subject often talked about." Asked Nolan arching an eyebrow.

Austin shrugged then replied, "I heard some merchants talking about it during the Trade Fair."

Xeno rubbed his hand through his hair, "I don't see how they found out. It was actually Ernst, founder of Xeon that convinced the dragons to do this some centuries ago. That was when Callion The Great found the Soul Reaper and, as you may have already known, killed the dragons."

"But isn't the Soul Reaper used to kill immortals?"

Nolan weighed something with his hands, then with a hesitant stutter he said, "Uh, yes it is used to kill immortals as you would kill any regular mortal. But when Callion began hunting the dragons, a bonded dragon and rider fought and actually killed Callion, taking the Soul Reaper, and guarding it from those who would use it for evil. He later disappeared, never to be seen again."

"But where did the rider go? I mean he must have gone somewhere and not have just vanished from the face of the earth." Replied Austin, more and more questions boiling in his mind like a swirling tempest, the large masses of dark clouds of curiosity rolling along the confines of his brain.

Nolan looked to Xeno with a worried expression, Xeno nodded slightly and Nolan left the room without another word, leaving them standing at the table, the light from outside brightening the map upon the table.

"Explain it to me again," Said Christopher.

Austin shifted his weight, impatient, but otherwise, held his tongue.

From the pile of scrolls and books in front of him, those of which Nolan had brought in half an hour after he left, Nolan picked up a slim volume bound in red leather and began his narrative for the third time: "Some five hundred years ago, as best as I or any scholars can tell-"

Trey interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "Leave out your qualifiers. We know this is speculation."

Nolan began again: "Some five hundred years ago, Callion and his loyal magician servant, whose name is not recorded in any written script I've read, set out for the Liangstronian Mountains, previous home of the dragons."

"And why did they go there?" asked Christopher while he toyed with the fringe of his sleeve.

"Callion, as you know was actually king of Aroughs for many years until he was killed, and his armies were on the verge of a… clan war if you will. And Callion hoped that he could secure the support of his military by capturing the Soul Reaper and killing dragons, even as he had, years earlier, taken the well protected city of Jetler.

"And once he discovered the main dragon habitation he had no choice to return back to Aroughs, which back then was called, Isareil. The reason for this was because, even though he welded the Soul Reaper, he was over powered by the dragons. But-" Nolan held up a finger, then opened the red book-"before he left, it seems he did do something." With a few quick swipes he turned several pages and continued.

"Callion's magicians wrote in his memoirs that Callion had began to force him to cast spells on one specific dragon, binding man and beast, the first bonded dragon and human in recorded history."

From his place at the far end of the table that filled the middle of the throne room, Xeno nodded and said, "That's true enough. I've read many a story of the first dragon rider."

Nolan continued: "Of course, nothing like this was ever thought of or done before. Callion's plans to control a dragon worked and soon enough he arrived back at Isareil, freighting all the citizens and soldiers who, as I said earlier, were on the verge of war. The people revolted against the idea of a bonded dragon and war was imminent. For four years the great kingdoms fought, and thus came the Forbidden Forest, which was created when a large mass of magicians, each of the four known ancient kingdoms sending thousands upon thousands of magic welders into the forest.

"With so much magical influence, the plants and animals underwent crazy, mind-blowing changes. All the soldiers to have entered the forest disappeared, never seen again. And so came the end of the Great War, which affected every corner of Salazier, not one creature escaped the influence of war. And in this selection of the magician's notes says: _and in a most lamentable turn of events, the soldiers burned many a house. The soldiers, however, were slow to respond when a dark shadow passed over them, covering much of the sky. Whereupon Callion and his dragon left to fight, and have yet to return…"_

Nolan lowered the book. "Now, what was the shadow? And who were Callion and his dragon going to fight, never to return. The only explanation was that he and his accursed lizard died, but by whom?"

"Something big for sure if it blocked out most of the sky, casting a large shadow over the land. And it must have been something extremely strong since Callion welded the Soul Reaper and rode a fierce dragon." Said Austin, and in his mind trying to comprehend the immense size of the… entity that could have blocked out much of the sky.

"Yes, and I believe I have found the answer." Nolan set the book down and replaced it with a similar one, this much larger than the first. Flipping through the first few pages he scanned the parchment and then pointed at a sentence and said, "This is another excerpt from a similar witness saying: _The soldiers of Isareil's army cowered in fear of the darkening shadow against the horizon. Callion set forth on his dragon towards the new threat, Callion's dragon surprisingly small compared to the size of the approaching enemy. And for days we waited…and waited. But no sign of Callion came, and to this day he is presumed dead._ It continues some lines later, saying: _Every time I sleep I can still see the creature approaching, its unfathomable sized wings flapping, the sound of a roaring thunderhead echoing in my mind…"_


	19. Chapter 19

**Authors note: This chapter has some rather extensive detail in the torturing field and also has some religious themes that some might find offensive. If this offends you I am dearly sorry and if it does I'll try and not repeat a chapter similar to this. As always, review and enjoy.**

**-7RON**

**Chapter 19**

Believing

Adam and Gavin traveled out of the junkyard, which was made up of crumbled buildings and crashed jets. The large chunks of concrete and metal all appeared to be the same color with shadows as the only differentiations in the tall spires that twisted upward. The landscape was rich and lustrous compared to the rest of the land, with green grass and tall, prosperous pines. Small, glistening rivers, appearing as clear ribbons that flowed from the mountains that surrounded them, snaked the land with lines of liquid, eventually emptying into rounded lakes.

From their current ascendancy in the valley, it looked as if the mountains completely filled the horizon. They didn't have any sharp hollows in the land or pointed peaks, which were more rounded, giving evidence of their age. The rocks appeared to be a bluish-green color due to the forests and snow-capped summits that reflected the crisp sky. One alp was strawberry shaped, while another had an exposed rock outcropping and looked like a bald dome, however, most were cone shaped. Several glaciers sat like guardians atop the crags, slowly eating away at the topography of the mountains.

A plunge waterfall thundered off in the distance, it started at the peak of a mountain some, hundred feet in the air, and cascaded down, without touching the underlying cliff, and tumbled onto a steep cliff in a large cloud of mist, which covered a small river that flowed out of the mist and curved along the foothills until spilling into a lake.

After a descent amount of time they spotted large columns of a grayish stone topped with platforms that extended across each column, overlapping and under lapping layers of stone that formed a tangled mess in the uneventful valley.

Gavin soon pointed out that these streams of stone were in fact highways and allowed people to travel along easy routes. The highways often tunneled underground and others went straight through the mountain sides. But what caught Adam's, as well as Gavin's, eye was the large clump of soldiers and metal machines of war that occupied the elevated roads. He was extremely curious about the metal machines and asked Gavin about them.

He laughed at Adam's lack of knowledge about technology. "Those are heavily armored tanks and transport vehicles. The tanks form the backdrop of our army, mainly being our most valued units other than our Air Force. The transport vehicles are used to carry soldiers from one point to another."

But the distance between them and the highway was still long, so to make the time pass they exchanged stories of their life. Adam had a hard time wording his words in order to convince Gavin that he was, in fact, from the past, apparently. His armor and sword were evidence of that, some of which Gavin couldn't explain. Adam even told of his profession as an assassin, that Gavin found to be very interesting.

But when Adam mentioned his death and resurrection Gavin seemed to slow down as if a part of him was missing.

"I had a similar experience with death… w-what did you see?" Asked Gavin.

Adam shook his head then spoke, "Darkness. Nothing else." He told the truth, but before he could speak up again, Gavin interrupted.

"Be glad that's all you saw, when I died, well it wasn't something I want to relive. It's also the reason why I switched my life around in hopes that I wouldn't experience it again. But it's quite a long story." Then Gavin seemed to notice the distance to and from the highway.

He took a minute then continued, "My point of arrival was a cell that was some feet wide and at least a foot below the surrounding floor. With its walls of rough stone and rigid bars on the door, I felt as though I was in a temporary holding area, a place where a prisoner would await his final hours before meeting a far more terrifying destiny.

"As I lay there on the floor of that cell, I felt extremely weak. I noticed that I had a body, one that appeared just as it is now. Lifting my head, I began to look around. Immediately I realized that I was not alone in this cell. I saw two enormous beasts, unlike anything I've ever seen before. These creatures were approximately ten to thirteen feet tall. These towering beasts were far, far from intimidating. It is one thing to be threatened by someone taller than you. But these creatures were not of the natural world.

"I recognized that they were entirely evil, and they were gazing at me with pure, unrestrained hatred, which paralyzed me with fear." At this point he stopped and stared ahead with saddened eyes. Adam could see that tears started to fill his eyes. "Evil" and "Terror", these creatures were an intensely concentrated manifestation of these two forces. I still had no idea where I was, and I felt, utterly panicked. Although I had no point of reference, no familiarity with anything I was experiencing, and no understanding of how I got there. Still I was faced with the unimaginable reality that a tortuous death seemed certain.

"The creatures weren't animals but they weren't human, either. Each giant beast resembled a reptile appearance, but took on human form. Their arms and legs were unequal in length, out of proportion. The first one had bumps and scales all over its grotesque body. It had a huge protruding jaw, gigantic teeth, and large sunken in eyes. This creature was stout and powerful, with thick legs and abnormally large feet. It was pacing violently around the cell like a caged bull, and its demeanor was intensely ferocious.

"The second beast was taller and thinner, with long arms and razor-sharp fins that covered its body. Protruding from its hands were claws that were nearly a foot long and seemed to be made of a rough type of material. Its personality seemed different from the first being, for it was certainly no less evil, but remained still. I could hear the creatures conversing to one another, though their language was one I could not identify, but somehow I could understand their words. They were awful words-terrible, blasphemous language that spewed from their mouths expressing extreme hatred for a being they called God.

"Up until this point I never believed in any spiritual force. But these vile creatures, despite their evil and hatred, believed in this God. But suddenly they turned their attention to me. They looked like predators staring hungrily at their prey, I was terrified. Like an insect in a deadly spider's web, I felt helpless, trapped, and frozen with fear. I knew that I had become the object of their hostility, and I felt such a violent raging presence fall upon me such as I have never felt before and greater than anything I could have ever imagined. They possessed a hatred that far surpassed any hatred a person could have, for I could feel as well as see it, and now it was directed at me. I couldn't identify what these beasts were yet, but I knew they meant me harm.

"I wanted desperately to get up and run. But as I lay on that cell floor, I noticed that I absolutely had no strength in my body, I could barely move. I knew it was much more than physical weakness I was feeling. Indeed, it was weakness of every form. I was mentally and emotionally drained, even though I had been there for only a brief amount of time. Two more creatures came into the cell, and I had the odd feeling that these creatures had been "assigned" to me. I felt as though I was being sized up and that my torment would be their amusement. As they entered the light suddenly vanished.

"It became absolutely pitch black; I had no idea why the sudden and intense darkness had begun. But I sensed that the light that had been present had been an intrusion and that the atmosphere had now returned to its normal state of darkness. One creature picked me up. The strength of the beast was amazing. I was comparable to a water glass in its hands. Instinctively, I knew that the creature holding me had strength approximately one thousand times greater than a man. I cannot explain how I perceived that bit of information. Then the beast threw me against the wall. I crumpled to the ground; it felt as though every bone in my body had been broken at once.

"The second beast with the razor-like claws and sharp fins, then grabbed me from behind in a bear hug. As it pressed me into its chest, its sharp fins stabbing my back, I felt like a rag doll in its clutches. He then reached around and plunged his claws deep into my chest and ripped them outward." Then he stopped, now on the brink of tears, he continued, sniffing, "My flesh hung from my body like ribbons as I fell again to the cell floor. I remember screaming so loud that my throat cracked and blood filled my mouth. The creatures had no respect for the human body, I have always kept it in shape by eating right and exercising, but none of that mattered as my body was being destroyed right before me.

"I knew that I could not escape this torture via death, for not even that option was available. Death penetrated me, and yet eluded me. The creatures seemed to derive pleasure in the pain and terror they inflicted upon me. I pleaded for mercy, but they had none-absolutely no mercy. They seemed to be incapable of it. The mental anguish I felt was indescribable, asking…or better yet, begging for mercy only seemed to heighten their desire to torture me more. I was conscious of the fact that there was no fluid coming from my wounds. No blood at all. I did not stop to wonder why because I was extremely nauseous from the stench these foul creatures gave off. It was absolutely disgusting, foul, and rotten. It was, by far, the worst most putrid smell I have ever encountered, it was unbelievably toxic and the smell alone should have killed me.

He coughed as if he could still smell the foul vapor. "But I found that I could crawl and was able to make it to the barred door that, as I recalled, was left open. The creatures allowed me to crawl out of the cell, and once I was out I was finally able to stand and was instantly horrified as I heard the screams of an untold multitude of people crying out in torment. It was absolutely deafening. The terror-filled screams seemed to go right through me, penetrating my very being.

"I soon saw in the darkness a reddish light up ahead that seemed to have a presence of its own and, as I walked closer I saw that the light originated from an almost fictionally large lake of magma and fire. Millions of people occupied the lake, but by their screams I could tell that no one wanted to be there. Their bodies were in constant torture as they experience melting without the true dissolving of their body. Creatures similar to the ones with me in the cage ran around ripping the limbs off of the people, but those limbs grew back only to be ripped off again, adding to the eternal torment that they were condemned with, stabbing them and gnawing on their flesh.

"I immediately felt pity for those people, some of who have most likely been there forever. And I soon realized that I was one of them, that I would eventually join them in the lake of fire. But before I could I heard a loud voice, one that stood out from the screams I could hear. It seemed to bring light into the hellhole as the voice echoed through the cavern. And all of a sudden the world seemed to shift and glow with radiance that I will remember forever." He smiled, and Adam could tell that Gavin was trying to stop smiling but couldn't. "I woke up in the infirmary attached with various wires and such.

"I wepped like a baby, glad that I was finally out of that place and back in the real world. I felt a sensation that is almost indescribable." Finished Gavin, wiping some tears from his cheeks.

Adam walked beside him, completely speechless. That story was simply horrifying. "How do you live your normal life anymore? Those creatures must return to you in your dreams or you see ghosts of that experience?"

Gavin nodded, "For a time they did, and I got extremely depressed. It was only when I went into therapy that I gained a little of my humanity, but not for long. The creatures always seemed to stay with me. But I was determined to get rid of them. So I went into surgery and got a chip planted in the back of my brain that controls the fear I have. Yes I still see them, but I'm less afraid, that's why when I go into battle I hardly ever cower or retreat." As they quieted Adam and Gavin soon arrived at the base of the main highway, as the clump of soldiers, tanks, and transport vehicles receded in the distance


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's note: It's been some time since my last update. I won't keep you long, so without further ado I give you Chapter 20…**

**Chapter 20**

When in Orasiuex

The highway soon led them around the foothills of the mountains until it spilled into a humongous valley that was unbelievably flat. And in the midst of the valley, in large heaps of concrete and metal, was a city. Though it was majorly damaged, the city was magnificent. The city was organized by grounds, huge structures resembling platforms that used the towering skyscrapers as their pillars, the buildings were reinforced to the point they didn't serve their original purpose. The grounds altogether, made the city look like a man-made mountain, with each ground being successively smaller and rising higher into the sky.

Gavin pointed out that ground three, the highest layer was devoid of any crime and social problems, and it's very center was Ryloth Industries central building, the tallest structure throughout the city, for it extended from the ground and through each level and then, for another thousand feet, into the air above the third ground.

"Ground two and one are where the common people live. They were the first grounds built and have both been expanded to the point where most of the original city is in complete darkness." Informed Gavin, "Ground two is quite better than ground one, but they are both strictly regulated by federal law and are highly secure."

The city had constant pillars of smoke that billowed from various points along each ground, especially Ground Three where, from Adam's vantage point, they could see jets of different sizes, most ranging from hundreds of yards long, flying from spot to spot while other jets blew up in a streaming shower of sparks and smoke.

"It seems the aliens are still attacking our city." Said Gavin, pointing to the activity accommodating above Orasiuex, "It also seems the army that we are following are heading there to help."

Adam instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword, looking at the battle before him only made him wish he were back in Xeon. "Then…I guess we should help."

Gavin nodded then they sprinted down the highway in order to catch up with his comrades. The run took half an hour, most of which they spent resting or walking. But they eventually caught up with the others.

All the soldiers were wearing suits different than Gavin's, and when asked he replied with, "I fly the twin pod jets, so not much armor is needed. My suit is made for more flexible reasons."

Adam nodded. The men were eager to fight by the way they shifted impatiently as captains issued orders and others prepared the vehicles for the fight. The heavily armored tanks or so Gavin had called them, resided at the borders of the army, while transport jets landed and loaded up on the vehicles and soldiers.

Gavin seemed confused as he walked around the camp, searching for the commander of the army. He didn't supply Adam his name, so the figure remained a mystery. Gavin stopped several men and asked for the commander's whereabouts, which they answered with directions and recent sightings of where they suspected him to be.

A hollow boom echoed across the field from the front of the army. Several alien jets streaked across the sky. The high altitude vehicles' twin armored pods were connected by a boom that mounts a miniature, open, air-cooled engine. Gunners were armed with a linked pair of blaster cannons that were implanted within the twin-pod. As they passed, green smoke fell from the jets and flowed through the mass of soldiers.

"Apply your gas masks, their spraying poison!" Shouted a young man's voice. As a response the soldiers ducked down and pulled out small masks with which they attached to their faces.

As the Twin-pod flew overhead, a soft green mist billowed over the army. Hundreds of men dropped dead immediately as the gas snaked through their ranks. Gavin applied his mask and handed Adam one. The gas reached him just as his mask activated.

Several teams of soldiers wearing imposing white armor and gas masks approached. Their suits provided a wide range of survival equipment and temperature controls that allow the soldiers to survive in the roughest conditions, each wielded standard-issue blaster riffles. Another man led them, but he wore a suit that stood out against the curtain of white, for his exo-skeleton was black. The suit was combines both advance survival gear and the ability to absorb energy discharges with a personal cloaking device. He seemed to be the leader of the whole operation.

"Gavin!" The man called out, "Your with the first group of fighters, head out."

"I know, I know. But I had to bring him here," Gavin replied, motioning to Adam. "He could really help."

"That's nice I'll have to hear about it later, I'm leading another assault group in the transport jets, we're to be directly dropped off on Ground Three." The man said, pressing the mask to his face.

Gavin reached out as if to stop the man, but him and his soldiers ran off towards the landing area. "Well, I guess we are going to take the Troop Carriers."

Adam didn't argue, instead he followed Gavin through the tangle of soldiers as they ran around carrying out orders and preparing for battle. Their march was hindered by impelling tanks and trucks transferring soldiers to various locations. The travel was tiresome, added with their journey on the highway, which was going to be traveled again as Gavin had said.

Adam received curious and often weird glances from the exo-skeleton clad men. Both his armor and sword was what caused the distraction, or his wild looks. _I'm too good looking for them._ Adam told himself, smiling slyly. The sight of this new world and its inhabitants caused Adam to believe that his time period was insignificant compared to this one.

"There are the Troop Carriers." Gavin said, pointing up ahead where a clump of vehicles, large, hefty and heavily armored, were parked along the base of another highway, which was obscured by the shadow of the mountain it ran alongside. Adam also noticed that the highway was glowing with a light of its own.

When he asked Gavin replied with, "You never stop asking questions, but the highways are self-illuminating, roads that glow in the dark. When they were first made, they dramatically changed the nighttime aesthetics of major cities and were shown to improve driving safety at night and reduced the need for streetlights."

Adam stored the information in his mind; glowing roads would prove useful back in Xeon, with a little help from magic of course.

Gavin instructed Adam to board the vehicle that was preparing to cast off. So he walked aboard and sat on the benches of the passenger cabin, each section of the pew was utilized by a soldier in dazzling white armor that glinted with the reflections of the vehicles lights, now activated by the shadow of the mountain in juxtaposition with the highway. The adumbration made it resemble the likeness of obscurity. What Adam was used to, though, was the idiosyncratic feel that the shadow offered; masking the valley with night while the sky was bright blue with a blazing ball of fire floating in its midst.

Gavin joined Adam, but stood, holding onto the railing that lined the roof, and inspected his gun. Adam scanned the other soldiers as they too loaded their guns and outfitted their uniforms with weapons of all sorts. One soldier in particular grabbed his attention for it was larger, more bulky and had several mounted guns atop his shoulders that overlapped his back. Small firearms were attached to his wrists and along a mechanical belt were grenades.

Adam was aware that his metallic defense was only an insignificant shield compared to the soldier's. He became embarrassed about being the only one with medieval chain mail and metal plates for protection. He pulled his Saturday-night-special from its sheath like case and looked it over, using the knowledge that Gavin provided, he cocked the gun and then placed it back into its holster. He then looked up at Gavin who was holding a quite large gun with a short barrel.

"What's that?" He asked him, motioning to the weapon with his chin. Gavin held it up in validation then said, "This is an alien weapon we took from one of their transport jets loaded with arbalest. See when we fought the aliens, we found that their technology far exceeded ours. So any highly advanced weaponry we have comes from the foreign beings. Even most of our vehicles are from them."

Adam shrugged with mystifying emotions, "But what is it?"

Gavin laughed with bashfulness, "Oh, my bad. This is an EMP shotgun. But that is what we call it because it shoots an electromagnetic pulse that contains enough energy to destroy anything and everything electronic. Think of it as an extremely powerful lightning bolt. And when I say destroyed, I mean burned out to the point that it is not repairable. The gun is powered by a fusion reaction that produces mostly neutrons, and has a very little radioactive debris burst, the concept of a 'clean' electromagnetic weapon resulted in a weapon that has a less fissionable tamper, and therefore less radioactive fallout.

"The EMP burst that this shotgun emits lasts only a nanosecond!" He said with inspiration, "It radiates at fifty kilometers a minute at the speed of light. At such a speed, it could happen in the blink of an eye and might not be immediately associated with any type of explosion or blast. It is possible to shield electronic equipment from EMP radiation, but it is extremely difficult. The aliens didn't expect us to wield such weaponry so their devices were never shielded from EMPs. Ours, however, were, due to extensive warfare our military has experienced with those around the world. Giving us a sort of advantage.

"So when they came and we began stealing their weapons, their ships and armored vehicles have been easily defeated." Gavin finished his presentation.

Adam noted that next time he wouldn't ask for the whole history behind the weapons, or anything that may cause an explanation. They road in silence up and down the highways, slowly making their way to the grand, mountainous city that lumbered in the distance, a curtain of fog veiling the metropolitan behind its blurry sheen.

But what broke the inarticulate was the piercing, hallow thuds of gunfire. The sounds seemed stretched and had a soft echo to them as if they had traveled for some time. But already soldiers were dismounting the transports and now sped down the highways towards the fight.

Gavin instructed Adam to follow likewise. As he stepped out of the truck and onto the road, several beams flew through the air, forcing Gavin to duck behind the truck.

"Get down!"

Adam, as always, ignored the commands from Gavin and stepped out from his cover and shouted, "Skolir!"

The beams of energy bounced off Adam's invisible wards harmlessly, some flew into the air and some streaked into the road or the sides of the armored vehicle. Gavin could only gape in wonder, and taking the advantage, he stepped behind Adam and opened fire to the aliens down the road. He was now holding a small handheld that shot metal bullets instead of the beams that aliens shot.

Adam took out his gun and also opened fire, the unexpected recoil startled him, his hands flying back and nearly pounding his face if it weren't for his fast reflects. The next shot he was ready and found that the drawback was easily diverted. As he opened fire, he noticed the bulky soldier didn't even bother to get behind cover, and instead stood directly in the range of fire while his shoulder turrets fire away at the aliens hiding behind pillars of the overhanging highway.

Adam's energy never seemed to waver as more and more beams were deflected from his wards. But while he loaded his gun he saw Gavin step out from behind him and kept firing, exposing himself to the enemy's fire. But he then made the idiotic decision of reloading without cover and several beams slashed towards him.

"Letta!" Adam shouted, the beams stopped in midair and stayed there, frozen in place by the magic that he then emitted. The spell drained a significant amount of energy from him because there were at least fifty bolts that had stopped suddenly. Adam soon realized that the beams were giving off energy. He got an idea and expanded his mind to the frozen beams and felt a massive pool of energy within each bolt then, as if he were to take energy from a plant, he soaked the beams into himself.

The beams appeared to be sucked in Adam's direction, and when they made contact with is body they seemed to soak into his skin. He felt power run through his veins and he began to glow, Gavin gave a worried look and stepped aside. Adam was lost in amazement, the energy gave him an air of power that he put into a single spell.

"Jierda!"

A powerful surge of energy burst forth, filling the highway with a wind that rushed past so strong it nearly knocked over the transport vehicles and toppled the soldiers standing in the open. But he directed his word towards the aliens, and a transparent version of himself tore itself from his body with agonizing slowness. But when it was completely off it disgorged forward and smashed into the alien advance with so much force that their bones shattered into powder and their bodies flew about a mile away from Adam. His skin was still glowing with power and he didn't even feel a small amount tired.

"Adam…I" Other than that Gavin was speechless, instead of speaking he stared with awe.

The other soldiers farther down the road looked, in complete shock, at their surroundings as if expecting some new weapon to be revealed. Unexpectedly a revelation hit him.

_If I can drain the power from the aliens' weapons, _He thought, _then I am literally invincible._

"Don't relish your victory, for there are more aliens ahead of us." Said Gavin, looking in the distance where a great number of aliens approached. Their jets slowly hovering above the ground, forming a barrier between Adam and Orasiuex. 


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 "Come on, I dont want to be seen leaving the city." Said Nolan as he spurred his white stallion forward, the mares hooves clopping agianst the cobblestone road. Its mane was so silky that it swished in the wind gracefully, even though their speed was at a moderate pace.  
Trey, Austin, and Connor slowly mounted their horses and steadied themselves as they proceeded ahead behind Nolan. The sun wasn't even above the horizon the slightest bit, so as they had expected when Nolan mentioned waking early to venture towards Reavestone where they are to meet with a 'friend' of Xeno's. Supposeably his friend owned a shipping company and volunteered to take them as close to the Beors as he could.  
During he span of three weeks, Nolan and some highly educated scholars studied maps and scrolls of ancient origins, hoping to find a connection to he Riders within the vast expanse of knowledge. Most of the scripts written about the Riders were destroyed by King Aodin or taken with the elves when they left Alageasia. So the findings they discovered were rare indeed. But the travel would be hard. They would have to travel far east from Alageasia and across some sort of sea until they find a long forgotten island. The fastest way for them to go would be to take a route south towards Reavestone, take a ship to the shores by the Beors, travel through the ancient dwarven cities, and finally sail east.  
They soon found themselves galloping across the plains southeast of Xeon. The grasslands stretched for leagues, often times split by a small stream connected to a lake. With much distance traveled, they stopped to rest by a small jumble of birch trees. The sun had began to rise faster as they rested. The sky, originally being dark, was now being filled with an orange light, painting the underbellies of the clouds with a pinkish glint.  
When they were done eating and their horses the same, they mounted the mares and continued on their way. As the sun reached its greatest hieght in the sky, they saw a dark, hazy line that twisted along the land, far out in the distance. It appeared to be a river, and upon closer inspection they found that it was a quite large river.  
"Okay everyone, the Jiet river is ahead of us, maybe about three leagues away. If push hard we could make it there by night." Nolan said as he didnt dare stop for fear of loosing precious time. Then he urged them forward and their mares galloped towards the river as hope of water came into their minds.  
The time passed by slowly, extremely agonizing and tiresome, especially for the horses who were being driven to their limits as they raced towards the river. No scenery inhabited the plains, it was desolate and flat with insignificant shrubs that grew amoung small hazardous rocks. The horses were eventually so tired that they stopped themselves, ignoring the commands of their riders, without no other choice the group dimounted and set up camp, the Jiet river was at least half a league away by then.  
They ate a cold dinner and went to bed with no words spoken, the travel tired out all conversation they had. Morning came to fast for them, without a proper bed their bodies became sore due to the hard rocky ground they slept upon. But that didnt hinder their progress. They packed up camp and doused the fire after making a quick breakfast. Their horses were somewhat in better condition than the day before, but whinned when their riders mounted them. As they traveled towards the river they saw a group of Aroughian soldiers scouting the land, the predawn atmosphere kept them hidden in shadows but didnt interfere wih their torches that bobbed up and down as they walked.  
But as the sun rose it appeared as though the soldiers redirected their course and were now chasing them. This incident sped their trudge into a full gallop towards the river. They headed through the hills, avoiding the tops for fear that they would be seen by the sentries. Eventually the sky brightened in the east as they reached the edge of a steep bank covered with mounds of brush. Water roared below as it tore over boulders and sluiced through branches.  
"The Jiet river!" Said Austin over the noise.  
Nolan nodded. "Yes! We have to find a place to ford safely."  
The group followed Nolan, leading their horses. The bank came to an abrupt end at the Jiet, where the river ran dark and swift. White mist wafted up from the water, like blood streaming in winter. It was impossible to see the other side. Trey rossed a branch into the torrent and watched it race away, bobbing on the rough water. "How deep do you think it is?" Asked Austin.  
"I cant tell." Replied Nolan, worry coloring his voice. Austin looked across the misty band of water. He could see a dark shape that went across the river, but the fog made it hard to see.  
He pointed his out to Nolan. "Look, I think that that is a bridge." They slowly trudged across the bank, their feet sinking into the moss covered ground. The bridge looked old and worn from excessive use, not to count the fact that it looked to be hundreds of years old, its supports swayed in the rapids loosely. Moss and lichen grew along he walkway and the frayed rope hand rail. Nolan dimounted Barok and, holding the reigns tightly, pounded the bridge with his foot, testing its stability. The walkway held firm so he continued further, taking big yet careful steps. "Be careful not to make sudden movements, there's no telling how old this bridge is."  
The others followed close behind, keeping their hands wrapped around their horses' reigns. The mares whinned in protest, but that couldnt be helped.  
Either they stopped and tried to find another way over the river and risk getting captured, or they continued and risked getting trown into the Jiet by the horses.  
They were soon on firm ground once again wih the Jiet river to their backs. They quickly readjusted their saddles and Nolan calmed the horses with reassuring words in the ancient language. "Now here comes the fun part." Said Nolan as they galloped away from the river. "We will have to cross a small desert until we get to the southern shores of the ocean, there we will travel along the coastline until we reach Reavestone. After that...well I dont know."  
The group stared in the direction their destination lied, hoping that no trouble came on their journey to the Beor mountains.

Author's note: Sorry for the extensive wait for this update, but my computer mess up and wont turn on. So now I will be using my tablet to write the chapters on. But the app im using only supports documents of up to 1000-1500 words :( Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will try to update at a normal pace. As always, review and most of all ENJOY.  



	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Come on, we're nearly there." Said Nolan. They were very close to Reavestone, in fact it was easily seen from their position atop a dune. In the past week they had traveled from the Jiet and across the desert between there and the southern shore. Then they galloped down the coastline, stopping only to rest and refill their canisters. Once they had to remain in a single area for a whole day when a large contingent of Aroughian soldiers went marching in a circle around their hiding place.  
Nolan recounted those events as they sped down the dune in an arc, sand rising behind them in a large, orange cloud. They slowly tilted horizontally as the dune straightened into a small plain. The city of Reavestone was smaller than Terim but was no where near as protected as the western port city. It had small buildings washed orange by constant sandstorms and the heat of the sun. A small wall encircled the city, with a portculis embedded in the stone. The wall opened up by the sea and extended into the ocean alongside the port.  
Nolan and his companions trotted into Reavestone with their exhausted horses. After a quick rest at a small inn they continued towards the port where they hoped to find Xeno's friend. When they reached the port they were discouraged by what they saw. On the main entry came a tired old carriage, pulled by two tired old horses, rumbling onto the wharf, its creaky wheels bumping on the uneven planks. The rest of the port was covered with sailors and dockhands. Near the back of one ship fancily dressed people boarded via a ramp with a rope handrail. Toward the bow, some pigs and a cow were being led up a steep plank, followed by commoners. A large sign encrypted with a name, said The Legend. Austin wondered if that was their ship. His eyes were drawn to the ugly, skin of barnacles that encrusted the hull of the ship. Then he looked down the wharf and saw a much nicer looking and bigger ship, painted a shiny black. Its crew wore uniforms, unlike that of The Legend. It too was being loaded and seemed ready to set sail. As they made their way closer a thick, bald man in a grimy officer's uniform thumped down the gangplank of The Legend and approached the group. "Dempton, Silecse dempton, first officer, second in command of The Legend." The man made a sour face as if he had bitten into a rancid prune. It occured to Austin that Dempton didnt like being second in anything. He also kept a wary eye on the group. Reavestone probably doesn't get many visitors year-round. Nolan asked, "Nice to meet you, but we're looking for Koniky..." He was cut off by Dempton. "He's over there." The man appeared angry, but other wise pointed towards the nicer ship. "He is in command of The Charlotte."  
Austin relaxed but didn't let it show for fear of offending Dempton. Nolan thanked the man then they walked off towards The Charlotte. Some soldiers were approaching it, carrying swords and crossbows. The soldiers wore crisp blue uniforms and black, shiny boots. They walked on either side of a horse-drawn cart that carried a collection of trunks, black, done all around with chains and padlocks. The Charlotte was in better condition with no frayed ropes, peeling paint, or no barnacles and green slime climbing the hull from the waterline.  
When they reached The Charlotte a few sailors stopped them and asked questions. "What be your business 'ere." "We're looking for Captain Koniky brewer." Said Nolan.  
The sailors nodded then pointed towards a tall, wealthy man in an expensive uniform. He was holding several documents with his left hand and issued orders, pointing with his right. He was in the middle of a conversation when Nolan approached and said. "Koniky."  
"Aye, that be my name." Koniky replied turning around after dismissing the sailor he had been speaking with.  
"Kvetha Fricai." Nolan whispered in the ancient language.  
Koniky's eyes brightened when he heard the words. "Aha, I heard you'd all be coming, just didnt expect it to be so soon. Got the message just last night I did." He said holding up his left hand, in it were the documents Austin noticed earlier. "Ya, well we were pushing our horses as much as we could without killing 'em." Nolan pointed towards a post where their four mares were tied. Koniky nodded. "Well The Charlotte will be setting sail in a few minutes, its heading to Petrovya by lake Tüdosten. If you want you can board it, I can make an excuse for four extra guests."  
"Will you be sailing with us?" Asked Trey, speaking up for the first time in several days.  
Koniky shook his head. "I'm afraid I wont, there be another of my ships sailing in tomorrow and I have to be there to sort out paperwork and such. But dont worry, my first mate Wyle will be captain while I'm gone."  
Koniky then walked up the gangplank of The Charlotte. Once on board they trotted aft on the bustling deck, dodging sailors making final preparations for casting off and getting under way. The forwad gangway had been detached, hauled aboard, and stowed; now sailors were working on the aft gangway. When they were done, there would be no way off the ship.  
Koniky neared the aft gangway and stopped, looking for his first mate. Nolan motioned for his group to stop as well. Directly ahead, blocking their path, stood the first mate, Wyle, supervising the gangway crew. Just beyond that, a canvas drapped cargo was being hauled aboard by two clean shaven sailors. Koniky spoke with Wyle, who nodded with confirmation, then turned to Nolan. "He knows of your origins and has agreed to let you sleep in the first-class quarters." Nolan bowed slightly then said. "Sé mor'ranr ono finna"  
Koniky bowed back then hurried down the aft gangway and onto the wharf.  
Wyle stopped supervising and said to Nolan. "I'll escort you to your living quarters shall I."  
"Thanks."  
Soon they were below decks in a cabin along the starboard side of The Charlotte. When Wyle left they organized their belongings and Trey and Connor argued about who got the bed next to the port hole. But when the situation was settled, and Nolan nearly obliterated the bed, they went back onto the main deck.  
"READY!" Shouted a random sailor. "HEAVE TO!"  
The sailors grunted, and the gangway was raised up off the wharf and slid back onto deck. Wyle gave the order to cast off the lines. The bow, pushed by the tide, began to slowly swing away from the wharf. No getting off the ship now.  
They stood atop the main deck watching as the shore sped away from them as the ship gained speed. Wyle was heard in the background shouting commands like, "CAST THE MAIN MIZZEN" or "RAISE THE TOPSAIL."  
They spent the rest of the day like so, adoring the view of the ocean and the constant tumble as the ship rock up and down, the waves crashing agianst the hull. Seagulls flew overhead and often landed on the masts. Austin looked overboard and saw several fins rise out of the foamy wake of the hull as it dug into the water.  
He squinted at the patch of dark where he thought he'd seen something, at the rightmost edge of the roiling wake. He jumped as a gray shape flowed from the water, forming a gracefull arc before disappearing agian beneath the surface. The shape was followed by another, then another. What are those things. He thought, leaning over the stern rail, then caught himself, feeling sort of foolish. Porpoises. Five of them, their sleek bodies keeping pace effortlessly with the lumbering ship. They suddenly jumped out of the water, squeaked, then turned, arced, sliced smoothly into the dark water, and disappeared. Author's note: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry if it was too short and had a slow moving plot. As always, review and enjoy. -7RON 


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The wind was much stronger now. Not full-force yet; no, it was still a long way from the fury that every man on The Charlotte could see was coming. But it was strong enough to make the rigging shriek; strong enough to rip the hat from Wyle's head and send it tumbling across the aft deck, with a sailor's blubbery body scuttling after it.  
Wyle seemed not to notice. As the gusts tossed his long, greasy curls, he stared back toward the storm. Dwindling rapidly astern was Reavestone, nothing more than a speak.  
The last of the Charlotte's sails had just gone up, full and billowing; the masts groaned and the rigging creaked as the sleek ship, propelled by the mighty following wind, surged forward, sliding down the face of a great wave, then climbing the next. Wyle grabbed a stout line to keep his balance, and looked up at the rigging, a rare expression of respect on his face. He was feeling confident now.  
"She's a fine ship, this one!" He roared to the helmsman. "Have you ever seen such speed?"  
The helmsman could only nod; even with his massive arms, he had to fight the wheel with all his strength to hold the course.  
The sailor, clutching Wyle's hat, staggered back across the sloping deck, casting a worried look at the storm. Most of the sky was black; it was daytime, but the sailors below were using lanterns. "Can we outrun it," Trey asked, walking towards Wyle. "Outrun that?" Wyle laughed. "No, Trey, she's a witch of a storm, and this here"-he waved at the wind-"is her broom. She flies too fast for us, Trey. She'll be on us in a few hours. We'll be reefing every sail we got and dragging sea anchors before this one's through with us. But before that happens, we'll be riding this witch's broom ourselves." Wyle looked agian at the sails, then turned to the helmsman.  
"I think we can coax another knot or two out of her," he shouted. "Let's put her on a broad reach, eh?"  
The helmsman knew better than to question an order from Wyle, but he shot him a glance. Putting the ship at a sharper angle to the wind would, indeed, increase it's speed; but in this furious gale, it would also cause the ship to heel steeply, and put a massive strain on the sails, masts, and rigging.  
Catching the helmsman's look, Wyle bellowed: "DO IT, MAN!"  
The helmsman heaved on the wheel. The black ship slowly turned, groaning, and heeled hard to starboard. The crew grabbed for handholds as waves of water crashed onto the decks.  
"HAUL IN THEM SAILS!" bellowed Wyle. "GIVE ME MORE SPEED!"  
Dispite the fearsome angle of the deck, crewmen clambered to the winches and, working furiously, managed to take a few more feet on the sheets, which were taut as wires from the massive strain of holding the sails. As the ship gained even more speed, the starboard rail went under, and from below came the crashing sound of unsecure cargo tumbling into the side of the holds.  
The ship groaned as it rose to the top of a giant swell, then seemed to fly down the other side. The masts bowed and looked as though they might snap. At that moment sheets of rain poured from the sky, soaking both men and beating the ocean to a furiois froth.

Nolan hadn't closed his eyes all night. For one thing, the weather had steadily worsened; the ever-larger waves kept the Charlotte in constant, sickening motion, and the groaning and creaking of the ship's timbers-much louder now-made sleep difficult. When they left Reavestone, the sky was clear as crystal. Then after about four hours of sailing a shout came from the crowsnest, after which Wyle grabbed a spyglass and aimed it towards the horizon. And there, above the water, was a group of roiling, black clouds gathering in size each passing minute. They expected it to turn course, but after the sun set and the sky grew dark, the clouds seemed to double their speed and size. During the night they prepared for a storm tossed journey. Nolan figured it wouldn't hurt to get a few hours rest, so he retired below decks and tried to sleep. But that hope was smashed when the ship began to rock furiously and the sound of rain pounded the ship.  
He looked to the bed next to him and noticed Connor was sitting up, admiring his sword, while Austin stood looking out the port hole. Nolan sat up and got out of the bed.  
"Seems like there's a storm." He said, obviously. Austin nodded and stepped away from the small, circular window. "Yes, and a bad one at that too. Trey went up to speak with Wyle just a few minutes ago, hopefully we can get out of this without trouble."  
Nolan laughed at his thoughts. "Why does it always seem that misfortune loves to follow us everywhere we go."  
Austin shrugged. "Well you are here are you not." He joked, bringing laughs from Connor. Nolan gave an irritable look and then walked to the door. Austin and Connor following close behind. Nolan guided them to the upper ladderway and ascended the steps. The wind was shrieking outside now; through the opening, Austin saw rain flying past sideways in dense gray sheets. Trey nearly collided into them as he went to climb down the stares.  
"Oh. Hey, I was just coming back to y'all." Shouted Trey. He was soaked with rain and his hair was dripping and waving in the wind.  
Trey stepped back and they stepped onto the deck. Austin followed, and in a moment found himself drenched with wind-driven rain. He looked towards the raised deck where he could see a stocky helmsman fighting to control the wheel. Standing next to him was Wyle, staring forward into the salty sea spray.  
Waves crashed across the deck, nearly knocking them over. The sailors shouted cries of alarm as the ship tilted violently, almost leaning under the wieght of the ocean. Austin felt his feet slid out from under him as he fell backward, slamming the back of his head into the deck. He looked around, vision fuzzy, and saw that Nolan, Connor, and Trey had collapsed also.  
Then he noticed Wyle running towards them, slipping and sliding across the deck as he made his way to them.  
"Is everyone alright?" He asked, helping Nolan to his feet, then lending a hand to Connor. Austin stood and noticed that the crew, drenched and unbalanced, were trying to hold onto anything they could. Others were praying aloud to some god for mercy.  
"What do we do?" Asked Connor, standing steadily. Wyle shook his head. "There's nothing we can do besides ride her out. This storm could go on for another day or two."  
Just then the ship tilted dramatically as a tremendous sized wave lifted it vertically into the air. Sailors shouted and grabbed what they could as they hung helplessly as the Charlotte reached the top of the mountainous wall of water. Then it settled into a flat position for several seconds before diving down the other side of the wave. Screams and shouts were all that was heard as the ship disappeared into a cloud of salty mist.  



	24. Chapter 24

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait, but it was my birthday the other day and i took a short break from the story in order to thank all my relatives for clothes. (Not that i hate it or anything! NO I LOVE THE GIFTS! FOR REAL!) Well anyways... i also had a hard time coming up with plans for this chapter. But after long nights spent crumbling papers and tossing them into the trashcan, oh three pointer, i finally came up with this. I also wanted to expand the limits of the app i'm using to make this chapter a longer one. Dont worry, updates should be more regular. Hope ya'll like this chapter and please review if i have any flaws or ya'll want to provide ideas, it helps, even if you dont think it doesn't. But most of all enjoy. Thnx for your patients.  
~7RON

Chapter 24 Adam had barely enough time to dodge an in coming missile. The missiles were not made of pure energy like the bullets shot from the alien weapons. Instead it was made of a strong metal, propelled by a solar reactor engine that kept the missile aloft. The metal projectile whizzed by with a flash of grey and a tail of white smoke trailing behind it.  
Adam, cautiously, asked Gavin about the missiles and was replied with another detailed explanation. "Think of it as self destruct button that locks onto a target and explodes when the target is close." Gavin had said." Inside the missile is a large amount of any such particle~a negatively charged electron, or a positively charged proton~can be turned into a missile, but when clumped together as such, it can be hillariously more stronger than a single particle. But their not good for killing insurgents, because they are to small, which is why a metal casing was established."  
Adam reminded himself, agian, not to ask Gavin any more questions. He was brought out of his thinking when the missile exploded twenty yards behind him. He was pushed forward several inches by the shockwave. A flock of bullets sped towards him but glanced off his wards, each deflect took small amounts of his own energy.  
Since the fight started they had lost both their Troop Carriers and have a dozen men. However they had aslo diminished their opponents numbers dramatically, due to Adam's help. The bulky soldier's armor was dented and worn, whilst one of his guns atop his shoulder was severed and wasn't shooting.  
The fight had long since started and seemed to have been going on for hours. Adam would have expected the battle to be shorter because of their and the enemy's numbers, which were little to begin with. But he attributed the length of the fight to the fact that each team was evenly matched wheather armor or firearms.  
An unspecified number of twin pod jets flew overhead spraying gas and shooting beams of energy, some of which Adam obsorbed. "Brisingr!" He shouted, and immediately a line of fire arced across the sky, originating from his hand, and smashed agianst a jet as if it were a solid object.  
As the jet exploded and debris fell from the sky Adam turned and headed to where Gavin was hiding. Gavin stood behind a wing of a jet that was lodged deep into the concrete highway firing his gun at the advancing added his own fire power and soon the group of aliens were a pile of disjointed figures and sperate limbs.  
"Thanks, but there are more coming." Gavin said, taking the oppertunity to reload his gun and wipe the dust and grease from his glass eyeslit on his helmet. Adam shook his head, "We can't keep going like this forever. There are only like," He stopped and looked around at his teammates. "Eight of us left out of seventeen."  
Gavin laughed, not because something was funny, but because he agreed with Adam. "I know, but it would help if you could do some hocus pocus!"  
Adam grew angry, no one talked to him as if he weren't doing anything, especially when he was doing more than anyone else. "What do you think i've been doing!"  
Gavin looked over to the rest of the alien detatchment, pointing at it as if it would disappear if he did. "Well they're still here aren't they."  
"You want some hocus pocus? Then you got some hocus pocus." Adam smiled evily then left the cover and ran down the highway where the aliens were postioned. He slowed so he could count the number of remaining enemies. Four jets, one tank, and a couple dozen alien soldiers. "Good."  
The aliens seemed to notice his presence because they began shooting lazers at him. He extended his mind to the comforting pools of pure energy and when the beams struck his skin they sunk into him with a flash of light. The energy he had just recieved was put into a single spell. "Flauga!"  
He was propelled upward with amazing speed and soon reached the same alltitude of the highest jet. When the spell ceased draining the energy, he remained hanging in the air for several seconds. Before he plumetted to his death he shouted, "Fram!" Then he shot forward towards the jet. He could see the pilots within the cockpit began a series of blurred hands as they activated the guns. But it was too late for Adam had already landed on top of the jet and, pulling out his rifle, began running along the roof shooting at it with his gun. From his experience and Gavin's numerous teachings, Adam had leared that soldiers often sat in the center of the jets as they were transported to other locations. He didn't know if he hurt anyone, but held onto the idea that he had. Then as he reached the back of the ship he pulled out a gernade and pulled the pin. He jumped off the jet and, turning midair, threw the gernade into the propelling engines.  
He returned to a diving position as the ship's engines blew up in a flash of fire and sparks. "One down, three to go." He said to himself, but also aloud.  
The jet was still hovering but was also decending rapidly. Adam also noticed that there was a jet below the one he destroyed. The pilots seemed not to pay attention to the hunk of metal that was about to...  
"Yep! Too late!" Adam laughed, he was still falling and had to repeat another spell to keep him airbourne. The two jets exploded with an exceedingly powerful shockwave that carried debris and smoke half a mile in every direction. "Two down two to go."  
The other jets were some distance off so he landed and started fighting the aliens with his sword. Often times when he was no where near the aberations he would take out his rifle and open fire. Once he still brandished his gun and found himself slashing at an alien as if the gun were a sword. He soon had to fly off agian when the aliens sheer numbers crowded him in a petite area.

Gavin watched from the highway as two jets seemed to explode randomly. But he knew that Adam was the cause. He soon saw the aliens close in on one area, and then realized that Adam was in the midst when several fireballs flew from the center of the fight.  
His teamates had recovered from their previous battle and he had convinced them to fight once more so Adam didnt get overwhelmed or possibly killed, though he doubted it. They were quickly on the move as his soldiers reluctantly agreed. Then when he saw another jet blow up, his spirits were increased with joy. They might just win.  
Adam left the third jet to fall out of the sky on its own as he flew towards the next one. The wind whistled in his ears as he sped along, staying parellel with the ground. Missiles streaked into the sky, trailed by a white tail of smoke, and hundreds of bullets entered the air forcing him to land or get shot out of the sky.  
Unfortunatly he landed directly infront of the tank, which was targeting him. He quickly formulated a plan.  
Shielding himself with wards powered by several beams of energy, he looked towards the jet. Gathering far more energy than he had before, he shouted, "Brisingr raudhr!" The meaning behind the spell was different than its interpretation. He wanted the jet to heat to an extensive degree. If what Gavin said about the missiles, that they were heat seeking, were true, then his plan would work.  
The jet was still about a half a mile from his position, but the spell instantaneously took effect, draining a significant amount of energy from him. The ship slowly turned to a bright red, with a shimmer reflecting heat of unbearable intensity. It was even hot where Adam stood.  
Without hesitation he spun, shot three aliens that were trying to sneak up on him, drawn upon the last of his energy reserves and shouted, "Adurna thaefathan!" The spell carried out his disire and thickened the moisture in the air where it cooled everything within a ten yard perimeter. When he was done spinning he was facing the tanks barrel, with the jet behind him.  
He waved, heard a click, than a loud hiss. Without a warning he ducked just as a missile billowed out of the barrel and into the sky. He hoped his trick would work, cause if everything was cool near the tank and the jet was bright hot... well he could only hope right.  
The missile was locked onto Adam at first, then the water particles in the atmosphere condensed and jammed its sensors. When it sensed another heat source it locked onto it. The jet.  
Adam watched as his scheme was working before his very eyes. The projectile smashed into the jet and exploded, blasting the ship into millions of sharp, hazardous peices. Fire erupted amidst black, oily smoke and formed a bumpy sphere of heat that rippled outward until it dispersed with whisps of vapor. He could hear gunfire as he returned to himself.  
"No need to stare at your handiwork when you know it'll work princess!" Adam turned to see Gavin, accopanied by the rest of his squadron. Another group were farther down the highway warding off the oncoming enemies. 


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

They watched from the coast as the Charlotte sped away, sails billowing in the mid-afternoon wind. They could still see the crew scrambling around as they repeated preparations to sail away. It was about three days since the monstrous storm nearly sunk the ship, they were lucky enough to have made it out alive.  
Wyle fought the wheel through the night during the storm in order to ensure their safety and imminate survival. The next day, way before the sun rose, the storm passed to reveal a resplendent sunrise, the sky was blanketed in a midnight blue that slowly shifted into an orange as the sun rose in the east. Small feathery clouds hung high in the sky, undiminished by the pitch black thunderheads that had just passed overhead. Nolan remembered the sight of the glorious sun rising, its rays of golden light reflecting off the ocean surface, and then the cry from the crow's nest, signaling land. The long trip aboard the Charlotte was boring and uneventful, so when land came into sight, indicating the end of their sea-going journey, but also the beggining of a new one.  
But it still took two more days before they left the ship. During that time Nolan often gazed at the evergrowing base of the mountains. They were said to be over ten miles high, the Beors were the tallest mountains in Salazier. The peaks faded out of sight into the clouds; all that could be seen was a giant wall of ice and snow. And as they drew closer, Nolan was speechless, the mountains sheer size was unfathomable.  
"You ready to go." Asked Trey, bringing Nolan from his thoughts. Trey was standing in front of him where the waves crashed over his boots, reaching his ankles. Nolan nodded and took one last look at the Charlotte, before turning and leading his group up the beach. The shore was quite larger than it appeared on the deck of the Charlotte. Far from where they walked, a lagoon connected to the sea. It was, in good weather, a beautiful place-a near perfect semicircle of flawless white sand, perhaps a mile across, bordered by a curtain of tall, graceful palms. In the center of the curved beach lay two dozen or so massive, sea-smoothed boulders, some of them the size of a sailing ship, forming hulking jumble of rock that stretched from the trees to the blue-green water.  
The lagoon was teemed with life-turtles, jellyfish, crabs, and vast schools of lavishly multihued fish. Normally these creatures were sheltered from the surge of the sea by a coral reef; it ran across the mouth of the lagoon from one side to the other, with only a small break in the center, through which the tide flowed in and out. But the reef was no match for the waves churned up by the storm. Every few seconds a towering wall of wind-driven water rose high over the reef and broke upon it with a thuderous crash, sending a surge of churning, foaming water rushing high onto the beach, then back toward the sea, leaving the surf-scrubbed beach empty for a few seconds, awaiting the next incoming surge.  
Behind the beach, the landscape changed. The sandy expanse of shore suddenly altered into a large grassland that went on for a mile or two before ing into the foothills of the Beors. Beyond that rose a steep ridge thousands of feet high, jungle-thick with vegetation, forming a curved green wall that cut the plains off from the mountains.  
When they rached the end of the beach they noticed that very small vegetation grew. Harsh weather forbade large shrubs to grow, only thick, green blades grew, forming a carpet over the loose sand. Many rivers flowed from the mountains and snaked over the plains and dumped out into the lagoon. Their feet stepped out of the sand, which was so unconstricted that their boots sunk under an inch of the topsoil, and onto firm, hardpacked, and grassy terrain.  
Small oak trees crowned hills with a peak of leaves. Herds of gazelle bounded across the plains, chased by some large creature. Trey was curious to what the creature was, it resembled a large wolf, but never had Trey heard of a wolf so large.  
"What is that?" He asked Nolan, pointing to the mysterious animal.  
It was an immensely huge animal, roughly the size of a horse. Despite its size it was fast and agile and moved with amazing stealth. Large muscles rippled under its fur as it jumped above a gazelle, twisted in the air so that it was facing the frieghtened gazelle, and then landed in the poor creatures neck. The wolf-like creature and the gazelle tumbled over the grass until they stopped and the wolf roared his victory.  
"Thats a Shrrg, they're native to the Beors and are very dangerous. They hunt in packs so keep an eye out, where theres one theres more." Nolan replied as they made their way down hill.  
Connor hesitated before saying. "Are there other strnage creatures we need to know about before we travel into their territory?"  
Nolan nodded. "There are Nagra, large boars that are very fast, Fanghur that resemble a twenty foot serpent with leathery wings"  
Austin interrupted to ask. "Like dragons?"  
Nolan shook his head, "No, Fanghur don't breathe fire and are smaller than dragons. They also attack their prey with a immobilizing screech with stun their prey. Then theres Feldûnost which are goat-like with long, curled horns that extend to their cheeks, but they pose no threat."  
Trey nodded in confirmination, he had read of Feldûnost in an ancient script.  
"Lastly there are the feirce and enormous cave bear, the Urzhad. They are said to be as large as a house, and like most creatures in the Beors, very fast."  
"It is hard to have courage when you know what lurks out there." Said Connor.  
"But isn't it better to know than to not know." Austin asked Nolan.  
Nolan shrugged, "I don't know, knowledge is a powerful thing. If one did know everything, then he would try to change what would happen. You can't change fate, and if you tried to, it would lead to disaster. Its better to not know, so that you can learn what you need to learn."  
The hours seemed to flow by too slow for Nolan's liking, adding mental wieght to his mind as he imagined traveling through the Beors, up the Az Ragni to Hedarth, then finally along the Edda river in order to find the Rider's home. They traveled for sveral miles and finally reached a good spot to make camp, half a mile from the foothills.  
Nolan leaned agianst a nearby stump, panting. Trey mentioned that he would go hunt, all Nolan did was nod. Austin volunteered to help Trey hunt, but Trey replied with. "That is not needed. Make us a big fire, and i'll bring us food."  
Austin complied as Trey strode off toward a thicket of beech trees north of them, Nolan untied the strap around his waist and, with a sigh relief, dropped the pack next to the stump.  
Trying to ignore the discomfort, he set forth about gathering grass and dead branches for a fire, which he piled on a patch of dry, rocky ground. He often sent Connor or Austin off to find bigger branches.  
The land they were surrounded by was wet and lush, with fields of grass that stood six feet high, through which there roamed herds of deer, gazelle, and wild oxen with black hides and wide, backswept horns. The riches of the area were due, Nolan knew, to the Beor mountains, which caused the formation of huge banks of clouds that drifted for many leagues over the plains beyond, bringing rain to places that would otherwise have been as dry as the Hadarac Desert.  
Although the four of them had already traveled an enormous number of miles, Nolan was somewhat disappointed by their progress. Kicking at a branch that was in his way, he continued to gather wood, grumbling at himself the entire time.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Trey returned half an hour later, pulling the carcass of a young buck by it's antlers, which he killed with a percise shot to the heart. Trey, with Connor's help, lifted the deer and placed it's head in the fork of a small tree. Then they went to work by cleaning the buck.  
Nolan and Austin prepared the fire with piles of dry sticks, the pit was about three feet long and two feet wide. Then they expertly crafted a spit out of some firm twigs and placed it above the pile of sticks. By then Trey and Connor brought strips of meat over to them, sliding them onto the spit.  
Then, with a muttered incanation, Nolan started a flameless fire, he also put another spell on the fire to keep anyone else from seeing the light it produced. Within seconds the fire sprange into a roaring, flickering mass of energy, speedily cooking the meat.  
Trey mentioned that he applied salt and spices to the meat so it wasnt tastless. Nolan didn't argue with Trey because he knew that he was a good cook. While the meat cooked Nolan created a pot out of hardened clay, reenforcing it with magic, then sent Austin to fill it with water using the river they were camped next to.  
When Austin returned Nolan had already made another fire with an arm that ran over the awaiting flames. Nolan easily attatched a hook to the pot an hung it from the arm. When the water was boiling he inserted the left over meat, along with salt, spices like parsely, garlic, and pepper. And from his bag he procured a sack of vegetables consisting of mushrooms, tomatoes, patatoes, and carrots, throwing some of each into the stew.  
It took some time, but eventually the stew and strips of meat was thoroughly cooked. They ate their fill, occasionally complementing on the food, and then settled around the fire to stay warm as the cold mountain air rushed into the foothills, the surrounding trees rustling in the wind.  
The next day they left their camp and entered a valley of the Beors. The landscape was dark, for the sun had not passed above the mountains yet. Nolan had to cast a spell that would brighten the path in front of them, added with the spells from the night before, he was trumendously tired.  
They proceeded on through thickets, which were so thick at times that they were forced to cut a path through, over steep, rocky paths where they were in imminent danger of slipping to their curtain destruction. Once they slipped down the side of a hill when it began to rain, turning the ground to mud.  
They were very stiff the next morning and at dusk the weather plunged them into a small snow storm which slowly shifted nto a steady rain. They were met with great misfortune when the mountains shadow forced them into darkness once agian, in which the rain termonated into sleet.  
They were detained until that night when the weather settled. Nolan, ignoring his discomfort, cast a spell that would thaw the snow amoung the ground so they could sleep comfortably. For breakfast Trey killed another deer, this time a plump doe, and they cooked and ate. When they left their amp it was mid afternoon. Hours later they were nine miles above the valley floor, traveling along a steep, and almost inaxcessible route which was covered with fallen timber which increased their fatigue exceedingly, mainly due to them stepping over so many logs added with the steep accents and deccents of the mountains. The weather was wet and cold all day, and it often rained, snowed, and hailed too.  
That night they reached a plateau with an adequate depression fit with soft grass and a canopy of leaves. But no water occupied the tableland so they concluded to make use of the snow they found on the top to cook the remnants of the deer. During their dinner the sky was cloudy and cold. That morning Austin looked out over the valley, from his point of view he observed high ruged mountains in every direction as far as he could see.  
It began to snow three hours after they left and continued that way all day long, soon the snow was four inches deep, covering their trail. Nolan was wet and cold in every way he thought possible, and was, indeed, fearfull that his feet would freeze in the thin boots he wore. The setting was very similar to yesterdays, and Nolan began to wonder if they were traveling in circles.  
The want for provisions together with the difficulty of passing those immence mountains dampened the spirits of their party which induced them to resort to some plan to revive their dispostion. When the sun set, they where encamped on a bold, running creek passing down the mountain side and flowed to the left where it plummeted about nine hundred feet to the valley floor. Nolan refered this river to "Eyddr Dymera", which, translated, means Empty Stomach, for they had nothing to eat that night.  
When the glowing orb rose into the sky, they continued on through the Beors. They soon spotted samon swimming in the river. They ate a late breakfast of fish smoked over a small fire. Later that day the weather got worse and they were drenched by an unrelenting thunderstorm. By evening Nolan found that he was feeling unwell from eating fish and roots too freely.  
The next day he puked several times, which lessened the uncomfortable pain in his stomach. He was sure that the others in his party were feeling the same. Their group weakened in strength as hours turned to days and days to weeks. Though they managed to get proper exercise and rarely had proper dinner. Their relationships with each other grew in might as they became closer. The next morning Austins attention was called to a species of reptile the likes of which he had never seen before. It had dappled green-brown scales that covered its serpentine body, occupanied by leathery wings. It's short, stubby legs helped it appear to slither like a snake with a ine of small spikes that slid down its back and to the end of its tail.  
The creature's head looked over at Austin, keeping it's body exeremely still. Austin felt a presence of danger fall upon him, causing him to grab the hilt of his sword. With an immobilizing screech, which seemed to originate from a mental force, attacked Austin. He suddenly couldn't move and found that he had fallen to the ground.  
The reptile gracefully slid of the rock it accomadated and made its way to the motionless body upon the ground. Opening its mouth, revealing long, dagger-like teeth, it prepared to snap its jaws down on Austin's arm.  
But in a fast, silvery arc the creature was sliced in half.  
"Told you to stay clear from the Fanghur." Said Nolan, sheathing his sword, the others of his group in tow.  
Austin couldnt talk as he tried to return to himself after that frieghtening experiance.  
Two weeks after they entered the Beors, they found, or at least what Nolan expected, that they were near the ancient Dwarf city of Dalgon. Nolan suggested traveling north until they reached the Beartooth river so they could easily travel to Tronjheim, and hopefully find the remnants of the dwarven race.

Author's note: Here is another chapter, hopefully it wasn't much of a wait for ya'll, and if it was then i am dearly sorry. But i wanted to make sure that this story starts to speed along so i can get to the dragon riders, cause hey, thats what the inheritance cycle is about right. Well i will try to hurry this along, and i also might start another fanfic, but not for some time, so just keep and eye out. So with that i will say, review and most of all enjoy!  
-7RON 


	27. Chapter 27

Author's note: Sorry that i haven't updated in somethime, but my great grandmother has cancer and my familys' been going through things. But during that time i tried really hard to write this chapter and have come up with this. Hope you like. Also, i would like to know if ya'll want more chapters of Adam or Austin. I haven't made much chapters of Adam cause im trying to get to the Dragon Riders, because there have been a few requests for them. But review and let me know. Enjoy.

Chapter 27

That morning they woke early when Connor spotted a set of lanterns bobbing up and down in the distance, the bodies of those who held them hidden in the mountains great shadow. They hoped it wasn't the Empire's soldiers or perhaps slavers, if so a fight would be inevitable, for they were blocking the only way out of the valley.  
They crept slowly forward through the forest, Austin taking the lead. He had amazing stealth, dispite the weeks of travel, he never seemed to tire. He would easily slither like a serpent through low-hanging braches so he could climb higher into the trees, and then disappear, only to appear on the ground several feet away from his previous sighting. No wonder he's a spy. Thought Nolan, reaching up to scratch his now fully grown beard. He would have trimmed the facial hair with magic, but decided to save the energy for later.  
As hours passed and the line of torches moved across the horizon, they couldn't help but feel like they would never reach the valley, they were still mile away. Soon they had to stop and eat the remains of yesterdays, smoked over a flameless fire. There they sat for the next few minutes, talking amoungst each other until Austin, who was firmly watching the trail of torches, signaled their leave.  
As they appraoched the valley they passed under the knotted branches of one of the Beor mountains' forest. The trees were tall, with creviced bark that was almost black, dull needles of the same color, and knobby roots that rose from the soil like bare knees. Cones littered the ground, each the size of a horses head. Sable squirrels chattered from the treetops, and eyes gleamed from the holes in the trunks. Green beards of tangled wolfsbane hung from the gnarled branches.  
The forest gave Nolan an uneasy feeling; the hair on the back of his neck prickled. There was something hostile in the air, as if the trees resented their intrusion "They are very old." Said Nolan, touching a trunk with his hand.  
The forest grew denser the farther in they traveled. The lack of space forced them to bunch up, even Austin had trouble sneaking around. Without a clear trail to follow, the tough underbrush slowed their progress. A steady stream flowed nearby, filling the air with the sound of gurgling water. A peak obscured the sun, casting them into premature dusk.  
At the valley's mouth, Nolan realized that although it looked like a slim gash between the peaks, the valley was really as wide as many of the Spine's vales, which he had traveled to twice before. It was only the enormous size of the ridged and shadowy mountains that made it appear so confined. Waterfalls dotted it's sheer sides with gleaming ribbons of liquid. The sky was reduced to a thin strip winding overhead, mostly hidden by gray clouds. From the dank ground rose a fog that chilled the air until thier breath was visible. Wild strawberries crawled amoung a carpet of mosses and ferns, fighting for the meager sunlight. Sprouting from piles of rotting wood were red and yellow toadstools.  
All was hushed and quiet, sounds dampened by the heavy air. The valley darkened as the hours slipped by. Without the sun to provide warmth, the sharp bite of frost crept into the air and the ground mist froze on the trees, coating them white. Night animals began to creep from their dens to peer from shadowed hideouts at the strangers trespassing on their land.  
Their travel had wiped out all thought of time or distance, just movement. Walking forward without thought or motive. And without notice they came within earshot of the traveling torches. From where they stood they could make out a group of about twenty or so people. Mostly armored men holding spears, whilst one wore a gleaming breastplate and a burnished helmet with a golden crest of a hammer surrounded by twelve stars and tin greaves. A war hammer was clipped to his belt. This man walked while the gaurds followed as if the man were an important figure.  
Nolan noticed that the men were shorter than average, but were healthy, strong, and looked exteremely disiplined. Nolan belived that these soldiers were allies of the Varden, and therefore, stepped out from his hiding spot.  
The branches rustled as he moved and the gaurds turned, spears held out. At the sight of Nolan, the gaurds stepped in front of the one who wore the crest, pointing the tips of their spears directly at Nolan's chest three feet away. No one moved until Trey, Austin, and Connor joined Nolan in his speechless endevour.  
"Who are you and what is your business here in the Beors?" Asked one of the soldiers, his voice muffled from behind his thick beard.  
"We are searching for something of great importance." He told the truth, just didn't reveal all the facts, he wasn't sure if he could trust these strnage people yet.  
The soldier who had spoken turned to the crowned one behind them and they spoke in some wierd language. For several seconds they waited, until the soldier returned his attention to Nolan and said. "Begone, or you will be killed. Sorry, but it's the way things have become."  
The man behind his wall of protectors pushed them aside and signaled his men to lower their weapons. "Can't you see that these are travel-worn...travelers. Let us take them with us so they can be sheltered and fed."  
The soldier protested. "But your majesty," Ah so he's a king. " Can't you see that they bear weapons of good quality make and fashion. These are weapons any common traveler would not have."  
Nolan and his human companions shifted their wieght as the men argued.  
"Well the times have changed, forcing them to take these desperate measures." Said the King.  
"Sir, our job is to protect you, even if you disagree we will protect. These men have volunteered to give their life at any moment so that you may live a long and life. Let us do our job." The soldier made a point, and it almost seemed that the King would agree, but...  
"And your doing a marvelous job at it. But that doesn't mean that we can't shelter a group of padestrians." The king stepped forward and held out his hand to Nolan.  
Nolan took his hand and they shook. "What is it that you are seeking, as you mentioned earlier."  
Nolan took a moment and observed their armor. No signs of the Empire's insignia occupied the armor, only the hammer and twelve stars. Then he decided to trust these strangers a little bit, but as a percaution he extended his mind towards the group of short people and met unbreachable barriers around their minds. The soldiers must have sensed it cause the king said. "I understand the need to figure who we really are. No worries, we can be friends for now."  
Nolan hesitated then said. "We search for the Dwarfs, we believe that they can help us with something."  
The king seemed to harden, as if he was caught off gaurd. "Well, your in luck. We are dwarfs," he said motioning to his gaurds, "and I am the dwarf king, Orik." 


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Do you, by any chance, know where Cole is." Asked Gavin, standing amoung several soldiers. So, thought Adam, The leader's name is Cole. Gavin had never supplied him with the leader's name before. He still had doubts with trusting a mysterious figure.  
The soldiers shrugged and mumbled with each other for several seconds, Adam heard small fractions of their conversation, but nothing to take account of. They remained in this position for minutes on end, surrounded by the small, temporary base that was well hidden under a cliff-overhang structure. All three acres were encircled in an electrical barbed-wired fence with at least four watch towers along the outer most region where gaurds endured a constant watch at all lined the inside of the fence, each filled with soldiers. Also accompanied by garrisons of weapons and vehicles.  
The sounds of training infantry units made the base come alive with noise. Off in the distance they practiced a rutiune called Aim 'n' Shoot, where soldiers would man the tanks and fire at holographic enemies. Next to that practice field were soldiers testing new exoskeleton suits, and behind a blast-proof window were the scientists, typing away at the various holograms that floated before their eyes.  
Often times Adam would see a combat robot fly into the base and walk around blasting more holograms. To Adam, of course, this was quite familiar yet in it's own way different. All the soldiers trained openly throughout the base, but back in Xeon they trained in certain sections.  
He was brought out of his reverie when he heard his name. "Huh?" He asked.  
"Cole has just arrived via transport ship, we'll meet him by the airstrip." Gavin replied pointing towards the airfield.  
Adam nodded. They left the soldiers behind and crossed the base and onto the runway. The airport beacons flashed alternately white and green, but are differentiated by two quick white flashes between the green flashes. Hangers lined the runway with one single operating control towers with ATC imprinted into the side of the tower in bold letters.  
The runway itself is the surface from threshold to threshold, which typically features threshold markings, numbers, centerlines, but not overrun areas at both ends. They traveled the length of the runway safety area. The safety area is the cleared, smoothed and graded section around the paved runway. It appeared kept free from any obstacles the might impede flight or ground roll of aircraft.  
A jet was currently being unloaded, soldiers from a different faction than Gavin exited the craft, armed with large, drak grey guns. But what caught Adam's attention was the various colored swords sheathed at their sides.  
What, Adam thought confused.  
"Why do they have swords?" Adam asked Gavin.  
He shrugged, "Don't know, maybe it's for show."  
Next exited a man that had a set of advanced armor that resembled armor back in Adam's time. It had the texture of untempured steel, yet looked extermely stable and was decorated with glowing symbols of some language. He too had a sword belted to his waist, only it was sapphire blue, and on it's sheath was a glyph of...  
"Gavin! So what is it you wanted to speak about?" Asked Cole, crossing the airstrip.  
Gavin looked around as if what he was about to say was confidential. "He." He said, pointing at Adam." Can use magic."  
Cole looked suprised, as if he was about to start laughing, then signaled them to follow him. Gavin gave Adam a cautionary glance. They made their way to a cube shaped building. Cole opened the door for Adam then started to close it before Gavin could enter.  
"Woah, what's this!" Gavin shouted in alarm, trying to pull the door open.  
Cole looked him directly in the eye and said, "Eitha."  
Gavin hesitated as if he were about to do something he didnt want to do. He started backing up but looked as though he were fighting agianst himself. But soon he was walking away.  
Adam was startled, and angered. He jumped forward and shouted, "Thrysta!"  
Cole slammed the door shut before the spell took effect binding him in place. "Brakka du vanyalí sem huildar." Cole replied, releasing the spell.  
Adam didn't waste any time, he rushed Cole, but before he could take a step Cole whispered, "Letta."  
Adam froze mid-jump. "How did you learn magic?"  
Cole took off his gloves and placed them onto a table. "So i've heard that you have helped out alot. All my soldiers talk about you, they say you are a magician."  
"It appears you are too."  
He laughed. "No, no i'm not a magician. I am something much more powerful."  
Adam suddenly felt the spell wear off, he fell to the floor. "What do you mean by more powerful?" He asked standing up.  
Cole pulled out a metal chair and sat down. "Long ago the land was prosporous, full of mysterious creatures, elves, dwarves, urgals, humans, and the most frieghtning and yet most beautiful of them all, the dragons. All the races lived in harmony. Now there were another race; Riders. They were bonded to..."  
Adam interrupted. "Dragons. Enough with the history lesson, i already know all this."  
Cole's face cringed as if he had tasted something sour. "Who are you? And how did you learn the ancient language?"  
Adam shrugged. "You know so much of the past, why dont you answer your own question."  
"So your from the past? Interesting. Well i guess i could believe it, look at the armor you wear and the sword you bear."  
Adam chuckled. "So you study the land's past and your into poetry."  
"You know, you remind me of a friend of mine. Same attitude, same humor, and, well you look just like him. So, where in the past are you from?"  
"Not sure of the time period, but i grew up in Xeon."  
"So your from the Salazian Age. Or better know as the time period that the Salazians ruled Alageasia."  
Adam halted Coles sentence, "You said Alageasia, not Salazier, which is what the country is currently named. Now either you are a scholar and your life is buried in ancient scripts or you are from that time period, which would be impossible."  
"Your here are'nt you. But no there was no time travel involved."  
"So you are from the past."  
Cole pulled out his sword and held it so Adam could see. "This sword is ancient, created thousands of years ago, yet it is in perfect condition. See this glyph." He pointed at a symbol on the sword. The emblem was the representation for fire or, "Brisingr." Suddenly the sword burst into flame, lighting the room and creating shadows that danced along the walls and cieling. Coles features were brighter and the shadows of his angular face flickered back and forth. But why in the heck did his ears look pointed.

Author's note: Sorry for the long, long wait, but my great grandmother recently died and there were things that me and my family needed to do. Its been hard dealing with the death of a loved one, but im holding up. And also my good friend M.X.M World Traveler has made a story that ties other stories together, its very intersting so go and check it out, its called A Traveler's Journey. So does anyone have any thoughts to as who Cole really is. And if you would like more chapters about Adam or Austinjust let me know. Enjoy.  
- 7RON 


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Tronjheim was everything that Austin had expected and more. Well hidden in a hollow mountain, intricate and sometimes unbeleivable carvings lined the enterance with strange lanterns that gave off a different colored glow. Dwarves walked around pathways and some could be found chisling statues out of blocks of marble.  
The dwarves had found the perfect place to hide. Farthen Dûr's walls were too high for any living creature to climb over, and no army could break through the enteranceway, even if they managed to find it.  
A crowd soon formed around them, mainly children who had never seen humans before, they stared wide-eyed at the intruders. Whispers entered the air as the curious bystanders followed the procession. They neared the city-mountain, and Austin saw that the white marble of Tronjheim was highly polished and shaped into flowing contours, as if it had been poured into place. It was dotted with countless round windows fromed by elaborate carvings. A colored lantern hung in each window, casting a soft glow on the surrounding rock. No turrets or smokestacks were visible. Directly ahead, two thirty foot high gold griffins gaurded a massive timber gate-recessed twenty yards into the base of Tronjheim-which was shadowed by thick trusses that supported an arched vault far overhead.  
When they reached Tronjheim's base Orik stepped off his platform and his gaurds left, disappearing in the crowd. The walls were lined with fluted pillars of blood-red jasper. Between the pillars hulked statues of outlandish creatures, captured forever by the sculptor's chisel.  
The heavy gate rumbled open before them as hidden chains slowly raised the mammoth beams. A four-story passageway extened straight to the center of Tronjheim. The top three levels were pierced by rows of archways that revealed gray tunnels curving off into the distance. Clumps of dwarves filled the arches, eagerly watching the humans. On ground level, however, the archways were barred by stout doors. Rich tapestries hung between the different levels, embroidered with heroic figures and tumultous battle scenes.  
They stepped into a mile long hall which ended in an arch flanked by black onyx pillars. Yellow zircons three times the size of a man capped the dark columns, coruscating piercing gold beams along the hall. They were in a circular room, perhaps a thousand feet across, that reached up to Tronjheim's peak a mile overhead, narrowing as it rose. The walls were lined with arches-one row for each level of the city-mountain-and the floor was made out of polished carnelian, upon which was etched a hammer girdled by twelve silver pentacles, like on Orik's helm.  
The room was nexus for four hallways-including the one they had just exited-that divided Tronjheim into quarters. The halls were identicle except for the one opposite Austin. To the right and left of that hall were tall arches that opened to descending stairs, which mirrored each other as they curved underground.  
The cieling was capped by a dawn-red star sapphire of monstrous size. The jewel was twenty yards across and nearly as thick. Its face had been carved to resemble a rose in full bloom, and so skilled was the craftmanship, the flower almost seemed to be real. A wide belt of lanterns wrapped around the edge of the sapphire, which cast striated bands of blushing light over everything below. The flashing rays of the star within the gem made it appear as if a giant eye gazed down at them.  
Austin could only gape with wonder. Nothing had prepared him for this. It seemed impossible that Tronjheim had been built by mortal beings. The city-mountain shamed everything he had seen in the Salazian Empire. He doubted if even Aroughs could match the wealth and grandeur displayed here. Tronjheim was a stunning monument to the dwarves' power and perseverance.  
Orik motioned them forward several hundred feet, then entered a smaller corridor. After several sharp turns, they came to a massive cedar door, stained black with age. Two gaurds opened the door and Orik conducted everyone but the gaurds inside.  
Austin entered an elegant, two-story study paneled with rows of cedar bookshelves. A wrought-iron staircase wound up to a small balcony with two chairs and reading tables. White lanterns hung along the walls and ceiling so a book could be read anywhere in the room. The stone floor was covered by an intricate oval rug.  
Orik turned and spoke, his voice was strong and confident: "Welcome to Tronjheim. What do you think of the city of the dwarves?"  
Nolan peered around the study, nodding. "Its amazing. All i imagined and more. The dwarves have certainly outdone themselves."  
Orik nodded his agreement. "Indeed. Sorry if the crownd was uncomfortable, but there haven't been a human in Farthen Dûr for centries. Most of the adults have never seen a human before." He then sat in a high-backed chair behind a desk. He placed his fingers together and studied themwith an unwavering gaze. "So, who do i owe for this untimely visit?"  
Nolan shook his head, sitting in a chair. "No one but me. I have found important information regaurding a specific place of which is far from Salazier. We needed to travel through the Beors in order to get there. We had no intentions of invading the dwarves' privacy."  
Orik huffed, "And what place do you desire to reach?"  
Nolan hesitated. An uncomfortable silence followed, of which was spent staring at each occupant in the room. "We are members from Xeon, me being a very important magician. My friends here are good fighters skilled with sword and bow."  
And axe. Thought Trey.  
"We are also the capital of the Varden as you know, and want to find a way to aid us in the war agianst the Salazians. As we are in desperate need of help. Yes, it maybe that the dwarves and urgals are here to help, but that isnt enough agianst the Empire." Orik nodded in approval. "We need the Elves and the Riders. But where are they. The elves vanished from Du weldenvarden long ago, in search for the home of the dragons. The Riders are all but gone, they seemed to disappear completely besides Morbid. But, like i said earlier, we have found evidence that the elves and riders may still be out there.  
"I have come into posession of a location, a location that may possibly be the island of the Riders. If I can get there we will atleast have hopes of finding something." Nolan placed his back agianst the chair.  
Orik remained speechless, until finally he said. "The riders are not a selfish race. They will fight for peace and freedom. I just don't understand why they never returned when the Salazians invaded. Something may have happened to them, causing the end of their race or... Its just confusing. But erase hope of finding the island, cause you wont."  
Austin arched his eyebrows. "Why is that?"  
"When the dragons began to hatch they felt that their island needed to be hidden in order to keep possible enemies from finding it."  
"So they... hid the island?" Austin asked, confused.  
"No. The wild dragons massed together and created a spell that would make it so only another dragon could find the island. Unless you have a dragon, then i suggest you turn tail and leave this mad venture. I myself have sent expeditions to the island. No ships ever returned." Orik shrugged. Nolan looked worried, thoughts whizzing through his mind. How could he find a dragon. "Do you know if there are dragons native to Salazier."  
Orik laughed. "No. The only dragons you'll find are still eggs."  
"What do you mean?" Asked Nolan, his eyes widening.  
"When Eragon, the lead rider, left, he gave each race two eggs to pass around until it hatches. Many hatched and others didn't, the ones that didn't were passed to another race in hopes of it hatching. There has been one egg that hasn't hatched for any known race as of yet. Currently it is amoung the dwarves, that was why i was outside of Tronjheim. I had recently left Dalgon since the passing of the egg ceremony was hed there."  
"Where is the egg now?" Nolan asked.  
"Its being held in a secure chamber below Tronjheim. But i don't see how it would help its only an egg."

Austin looked around as a voice entered his head. It brushed his mental defences aside with ease and encompassed his mind with a presence of peace and harmony, filling him with warmth and light. Nolan and Orik continued talking as if nothing was ocurring, though the room seemed to be radiating with this mysterious energy. He tried to block the intrusion, but failed when the energy held his barriers at bay. What do you want? He asked the presence. He then heard a hollow sound, as if his mind stretched for miles and was empty with a recurring sound that was alveolate but aslo had structure. The sound echoed throughout the nothingness spreading and increasing in intensity until he could make out a group of words.  
The egg. It said.  
Austin closed his eyes in order to concentrate on the being's presence. What egg? The dragon egg?  
Another sound filled their link as if traveling a great distance. Yes. It replied.  
What about it? Austin opened his eyes and looked around the room to see if he had drawn attention. Nolan and Orik continued talking and Trey and Connor were deep in conversation with each other.  
Find it. The voice said, echoing seconds after it filled his mind. You must find it.  
Who are you?  
Their link seemed to quaver when suddenly Austin's mind left his body and flew out of the Beors. He saw every detail as if it were magnified thousands of times. He felt enormous amounts of energy in the air, ground, and creatures around him. The edges of his sight blurred as he hurtled north over the Hardrac desert faster than any creature alive could have transversed that lenght.  
Soon he was darting over Du Weldenvarden, the tree tops whizzing past in a bedim of green. Fog hung in the trees and birds darted in the open air. He soon sensed a feeling of fear as a group of deer ran away from some predetor, his connection with the animals was unexplainable for he didnt intend to intrud into their minds. The setting changed quickly as he went farther north than was inscribed on maps.  
Large snow-capped mountains rose out of the thicket of trees, some near the size of the beors. He began to see ruins of an ancient civilization rise from the fog. The air suddnely filled with energy of unbearable intensity, even too much for his presence to handle. A light shimmered in the distance, radiating with the same attributes as the mysterious presence, peace and tranquility. As he got closer he saw that the light was emmiting from the top of a steep mountain, with a shadow of a hooded man in the center of the light as if it came from him.

Authors note: this chapter was longer than the previous ones, but i think i am over due for a chapter so i made this one longer. Hope ya'll enjoy it, and please leave a review, let me know how you are enjoying the story and such. Enjoy and thnx for reading.  
- 7RON 


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Austin." The voice called out to him, but it was infundibular and reflected itself many times, as if many voices called out to him. He felt as though his eyes were opened, yet all he could see was a transcendental white. It felt as if it was real but wasn't.  
He could still see the silhouette of the intellectual hooded man, shrouded in power. He could still feel the energy that filled the air around him. Yet he knew he wasn't there any more.  
"Austin." Said the voice, calm and contrite, yet worried for the life of him. What was amiss, has something gone horribly wrong. What ever it was he felt that he would know soon enough as his vision blurred and he could make out shapes. Squares, triangles, circles. Now they became more complex, shapes that seemed to flow effortlessly into place, forming abstract structures of heterogeneous circumscriptions.  
Nolan? Was that Trey and Connor. And...and a short man.  
"Austin, are you okay?" Asked Nolan, he could feel Nolan's mind begin to probe his, looking for any sort of physical or mental damage. "I don't know, what happened?" Austin replied. He knew what happened yet he felt confused, as if something were trying to make him forget what happened yet letting him remember certain details.  
Trey suddenly spoke before anyone else could. "You were sitting perfectly still when suddenly the candles and the torches in the room were blown out. It got real dark and then you started glowing a bright white." He looked over to Nolan then back to Austin. "After that you fell out of your chair and as if you passed out."  
Austin looked around and noticed that he wasn't in the study as he had been before he left his body. It was some sort of medical room with beds lining the walls, most held sick dwarves. The walls were made of white polished marble giving the room a cleansed feeling. "Where am I?"  
This time Orik spoke. "Tronjheim's sanitarium. You were out for three days and."  
Austin shot up. "Three days!" He exclaimed, looking between Nolan and Orik.  
Orik nodded. "Several of my best healers examined your mind while you were sleeping and found your mind heavily gaurded by an unbreachable barrier. They said it wasn't your own barriers and also that something or someone was keeping you from waking. Even Nolan had trouble trying to get you to wake."  
"Well at least your safe." Said Nolan. "I know we should let you recover first, but this is important. What happened?"  
Austin rubbed his head and recounted the events that transpired while he was passed out. When he got to the mysterious ruins in the north he saw Nolan and Orik trade glances. But their expressions where priceless when he spoke about the hooded man. "What does it mean?"  
Orik shrugged. "Even the Riders weren't capable of such a feat. You said that the man was covered in energy?" Austin nodded. "And for someone to be able to pull your mind from your body is an impossible performance, even for a skilled magician or dragon. Not even the elves could have done this. I can't comprehend this. Nolan?"  
Nolan shook his head. "Nor can I think of any thing that could have done this. Maybe a spirit did this but you said the being was a man, and spirits don't interact directly with living creatures in such a manor. But your mind doesn't have any trace of being tampered with. If something was to do this, then your mind would have evidence."  
"But the...man...did say, when ya'll were talking about the dragon egg, to find it. He said that I must find it." Said Austin, pulling off his sheets as he got out of the bed.  
Orik looked to Nolan. "I don't know. This could possibly be some sort of a trick in order to steal the egg. You could really be servants of the Salazians, here to take the egg and force it to hatch for you."  
Nolan bowed up. "How dare you make such an acquisition. We are trusted soldiers under binding oaths to the city of Xeon. We are here only cause you offered hospitality, otherwise we'd be on the other side of the Beors. And as an added measure our minds were probed and you found that we have nothing to hide. Something more powerful than all us is at work here. If its a god telling Austin to find the egg then we need to get to it quickly. If its a trick then we'll find out when we get there." Orik appeared mad, he looked as though he was about to strick Nolan down right then and there. "Gaurds!"  
Suddenly ten dwarven soldiers ran into the room and surrounded the humans, pointing their pikes at them while also keeping them from reaching Orik if they tried to.  
Orik glared at Nolan then said. "Keep these three company. If they try to escape...well, use your imagination. I'll take two with me." He looked at Austin. "You. Come with me."  
They left the medical room and entered a long corridor lined with columns and doorways. Torches hung from fixtures along the tops of each door frame. They left the corridor and entered a staircase sloping down. It became darker even with torches being carried by the gaurds and hanging along the walls. The hallway eventually decreased in size and they had to resort to a single-file line. Austin even saw other hallways branching off the main one.  
"Its a maze." Austin observed, looking down each walkway as they passed it.  
"Yes. And if some god is telling you to find the egg, then you'll find it." He stopped in a circular room with other foyers going seperate ways out of the room. Each entrance was marked by an expertly crafted arch in the shape of a dragon as if it gaurded the halls.  
Austin looked up to the cieling to see a gigantic chandelier hanging by iron chains. "You want me to lead the way?"  
Orik nodded. "We dwarves know the way, we will follow you until it is apperant that you wont find the egg chambers. After that you and your friends will be sent on their way."  
Austin shyly nodded, not sure if the strange supernatural being would help. He didn't know how he could contact it, and even if he could, why would he help him. So he did the only thing he could do. He prayed to any god that the being might have been. Nothing.  
He tried agian, this time pleading harder.  
Nothing.  
"I can't. I don't know where to find the chamber." He looked apprehensively to the ground, nudging a small rock with his feet.  
Orik acknowledged Austin's statement as if he knew he wouldn't be able to find the egg chamber. He motioned to his gaurds to lead the way out when suddenly a voice echoed throughout the maze.  
"Find the egg." It said, each word stricking them with force that was more imaginary than real but had a design. An anatomy. "Find the egg."  
Orik and his gaurds fell to their knees and started muttering to themselves.  
Austin peered around the annular room as the voice spoke up agian.  
"Don't pray to me dwarves. I am no god. I am a messenger from the one and only God, the one who created all, the one who will not tolerate prayer to idols as your race has done, the one who has given me the power to do the tings I have done. But I am not here to tell you of your wrong doing, but i am here to lead one human to his destiny. Go find the egg." The voice disappeared as well as the power that came with it.  
The dwarfs appeared shocked beyond belief. And if they looked any more pale, Austin was sure they would appear dead. Orik stood, briefly without the power and authority the king once had before trudging into the maze. "Get him to the egg chamber now!" He commanded.  
The guards stood quickly and motioned Austin to follow them. Orik left the maze, leaving Austin and the two other dwarfs to travel the labyrinth by themselves. The air suddenly became stale and the brick walls looked more older than the ones closer to the entrance. They went left then right then right agian. Passing under archways and over bridges that overlapped pools of molten rock. They traveled so far into the maze that only one path was visible.  
"We are here." Said one dwarf, placing the butt of his pike on the ground.  
Austin looked around at the rocks, jagged shadows forming the rough surface, giving the rocks an evil look with the glow of the lava reflecting off the marble columns that held up the roof of the cavern. They had came to a dead end, the path went straight into the face of one of the surrounding walls. This wall in particular had the design of the hammer surrounded by twelve penticles. "Theres nowhere else to go." Austin said, feeling foolish for stating the obvious.  
The dwarves rolled their eyes and the other one said. "Have you ever thought of a hidden entrance." Then he motioned to the wall and said. "Can you see what's wrong.?"  
Austin examined the wall, each detail of the insignia. He knew that it was meant to be the symbol of the dwarf clan Dûrgrimst Ingeitum, yet one of the stars was tilted differently than the others. He moved closer to the wall then looked to the dwarfs. "May I?" He asked, holding his hand up to the wall.  
The dwarf nodded.  
Austin smiled then turned back to the wall and took several seconds to stare at the star. Then he reached up and grabbed the star, he felt it move slightly. Twist it. Said the voice in his head. He complied and twisted the star. He heard gears moving and when the star was completely in its rightful spot a click sounded and the star was pulled deeper into the wall. Dust poured from the cieling as the star moved into position. Then an exteremely thin line appeared as the wall split revealing a small room with about twenty stands which were once used to hold dragon eggs. Currently one was being used. A dark purple dragon egg with almost black veins that webbed the smooth surface sat in the closest pedestal, relfecting the orange light of the lava outside.  
The dwarfs moved first, entering the room and standing on either side of the egg. Austin slowly made his way forward, what did the man want him to do with the egg, and why? If it hatched...but thats impossible, Austin couldn't really become a dragon rider. But if the egg hatched there wouldn't be any change of plans, they would still leave for the dragon island.  
"Stop!" Came a voice behind him. Austin turned to see the dwarf king running down the hall followed closely by Nolan, Trey and then Connor and a half a dozen gaurds. "Wait. I want to see what will happen." Orik said, looking behind him at his gaurds. "Stand strong men, we may have another Rider in our presence. Go ahead."  
Austin nodded then looked to Nolan, the old magician looked worried yet was able to hide most of the emotion, who tilted his head slightly. He turned back to the egg and continued to walk forward, each step feeling like several thousand. He got even closer then hesitated.  
JUST TOUCH THE EGG! He shouted to himself. Yet it was hard to simply reach up and touch its smooth surface. But his hand moved up, as if by itself, and he brushed his fingertips agianst it. The egg was smoother than it appeared, and the veins didn't form any inperfections upon the shell. His hand went back for a second time and really touched the egg.  
Nothing.  
Orik, Nolan, and every other eye in the room stared at the egg intentely.  
Nothing.  
The atmosphere in the room went from pure excitment to worry. What if the egg didn't hatch? Austin prepared to back up when suddenly the egg shifted under his now retreating hand. "The egg! Its hatching!" Austin shouted, mainly in disbelief and awe. What kind of honor was it for a dragon to hatch for him.  
Orik stuttered than ceased to speak, the guards began to mutter to each other and Nolan, good old Nolan, just stared as if something new was about to start, the begginings of a new age. Several cracks appeared on the shell and lifted up, teetering as if balancing on something. Then it fell off the pedestal and hit the ground. And then a small dragon head, of the most amazing dark purple color, peeked out of its egg.

AN: Finally! A dragon. I know its been tough reading a story about dragons without dragons in it. But here is one. A dragon hatchling that has traveled throughout Alageasia for nearly a thousand years. And soon will come the ancient dragon riders like Eragon and Saphira, Ayra and Firnen, and Murtagh and Thorn. Hope ya'll have enjoyed the story so far and will continue to enjoy. Please leave a review, it only takes a few seconds, tell me how you think my story is going, or if you want to give ideas. Thnx for reading.  
-7RON 


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Dawn was a half an hour away when they arrived at Tronjheim's north gate. The gate was raised just high enough to let them pass, so they hurried underneath it, then waited in the recessed area beyond, where red jasper pillars loomed above and carved beasts snarled between the bloody piers. Past those, at the very edge of Tronjheim, sat two thirty-foot-high gold griffins. Identical peirs guarded each of the city-mountains gates. No one was in sight.  
Nolan held his horses reigns. The stallion was brushed, reshod, and saddled, his saddlebags bulging with goods. He mare pawed the floor impatiently, eager to go. Nolan had been told that the horse hadn't been ridden in over few weeks.  
Before long Orik and his guards ambled up, bearing large packs on their backs and bundles in their arms. Behind him trailed their Feldûnost, their curved horns were slightly shinier than the ones Nolan had seen before.  
Orik grunted as he mounted his Feldûnost. "So, we'll be stopping at Tarnag, just north of here. From there we will take rafts along the Az Ragni to Hedarth, and then beyond across the eastern sea. If its true that only a dragon can find the island then lets just hope a hatchling can."  
Nolan nodded. "You sound like you've done this before?"  
Orik laughed, his voice like scrapping stone. "To an extent. Long ago I travled a similar path with Eragon to Du Weldenvarden. If I recall, it took a good amount of time, no telling how long this venture will be."  
Next came Trey and Connor, guiding their mares by the reigns. Their saddlebags were in likeness with Nolan's. "Austin is coming." Said Trey. "He was busy feeding his dragon."  
Orik acknowledged him and said. "He is a rider know. He can spend as much time as he wants taking care of his dragon. We are in no position to complain about it."  
It was a good ten minutes before Austin arrived, however, he wasn't leading a horse. His dragon, who he had yet to name, was hopping in a serpintine fashion behind him, its deep purple scales glistened with a thousand shades of violet. When the dragon climbed out of its shell they saw that, purple being its main color, it had black skin, and when it saw Austin its scales seemed to change to a brighter purple. Its talons, teeth, and spikes were a bright white while its eyes were a light maroon. He had two serrated fangs that jutted out of his upper jaw onto his bottum lip slightly. He also possesed four cheek spikes, which slightly curved towards his neck. Three days later they found out that the dragon was a male. Austin eventually read many books in Tronjheim's libraries about dragons and their names. He read that a dragon wouldn't breath fire until they matured, which according to Orik would only happen when the dragon reached about six months old. He was also told that very soon the dragon hatchling would be able to fly by itself, and even longer before Austin could ride him. Austin would often spend hours at a time listing dragon names to his dragon, the hatchling would listen intently but wouldn't approve of any names. Austin soon gave up and would tease the dragon and say that he was a no name. The hatchling's scales would change to a darker purple than it already was and then blow smoke out of his nose and climb to Austin's head and stay put, his tail curled around his forehead. The best Austin and Orik could figure was that the dragon would change color depending on its mood. Austin often touched the mind of his dragon and would ask it why his scales would change color. The dragon wouldn't speak but would share emotions of safety. Austin figured that the dragon had similar characteristics with a chameleon and could camoflauge into its surroundings, though it had yet to do so.  
"Where's your horse?" Nolan asked, turning his mare around.  
Austin looked around the road. "I thought someone was going to bring me one."  
Nolan laughed. "Your not royalty."  
Orik swished his hands and said to one of his gaurds. "Bring Austin a formidible horse. Make sure his packs are full and the mare is groomed."  
The guard nodded then set down his bags and ran back through the gate. Orik gazed down at the dragon. "So have you a name for the hatchling?" He asked Austin.  
Austin shook his head. "Every one I give him, he turns down. Is it normal for a dragon to not want a name."  
Orik shrugged. "A name is the most important thing about a living creature. It probably hasn't heard the right name. He want's to be know by a name that is fierce and powerful. We'll keep trying until he agrees with one."  
Austin nodded.

Half an hour later the gaurd returned with a prepared horse and without another word Orik spurred his Feldûnost forward, followed closely by his guards then Austin and his human companions. As they left Orik couldn't help but notice Austin and his dragon, who would hop into the air and spread open its wings, gliding along side the horse. Another rider after a thousand years. It seemed that history was repeating itself agian. First the riders were gone, an egg being carried around Alageasia until it hatched for a farmboy. Then that rider left to start the new age of Riders. Now after the riders have disappeared here comes another one. Gripping his reigns firmly, he looked ahead. As they continued north along the road, the gate behind shrank smaller and smaller until it was reduced to a pinprick of light. When they finally reached Farthen Dur's base, they found a pair of gigantic doors thirty feet tall open and waiting. Three dwarf gaurds bowed and moved away from the aperture. Through the doors was a tunnel of matching proportions, lined with columns and lanterns for the first fifty feet. After that it was as empty and silent as a mausoleum.  
It looked exactly like Farthen Dur's western entrance, but Austin knew that the tunnel was different. Instead of burrowing through the mile-thick base to emerge outside, it proceeded underneath mountain after mountain all the way to the dwarf city Tarnag.  
"This is our path." Said Orik, lifting a lantern. Then quickly crossed over the threshold, surrounding themselves with eternal night until they arrived at Tarnag. And once they entered the tunnel, they were hurling themselves into the unknown, abandoning the few things they had grown accustomed to amoung the dwarfs in exchange for an uncertain destiny.

AN: This is a short chapter, but i wanted to do something for the Fourth of July. And just to let ya'll know i will be getting my computer back all fixed and polished, so expect longer chapters! Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter and leave a review please, it will encourage me to write more, eventually leading up to the arrival of the Riders faster.  
Reply to reviews:  
Stapet- Thnx. And and the ancient dragon riders will be revealed along with multiple riders, sorry for confusion.  
M.X.M. World Traveler- What did you mean by blunt if i may ask? 


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